OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES 


BY 

CHARLES  CARLETON  COFFIN 

AUTHOR   OF    "THE   BOYS   OF   '76"    "THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY"   &0. 


Illustrated 


NEW   YORK    AND   LONDON 

HARPER     &     BROTHERS     PUBLISHERS 


BOOKS  BY 
CHARLES  CARLETON  COFFIN 

OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES.      Ill'd....8vo  $2.00 

THE  BOYS  OF  '76.     Illustrated 8vo     2.00 

BUILDING  THE  NATION.     Illustrated 8vo 

THE  DRUM-BEAT  OF  THE  NATION.     Ill'd.  8vo 

MARCHING  TO   VICTORY.     Illustrated 8vo 

REDEEMING  THE   REPUBLIC.     Ill'd 8vo 

FREEDOM  TRIUMPHANT.     Illustrated 8vo 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.     Illustrated 8vo 


2.OO 
2.00 
2.OO 
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HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1880,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 
Copyright,  1908,  by  SALLIE  R.  COFFIN. 


PREFACE. 


To  the  Boys  and  Girls  of  America : 

THE  settlement  of  our  country  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in 
human  affairs.  The  people  of  England,  ever  since  the  days  of  King 
John,  when  the  barons  compelled  him  to  sign  the  Magna  Charta  in  the 
meadow  of  Runnymede,  had  struggled  against  tyranny ;  and  when  the 
emigrants  sailed  across  the  Atlantic  to  rear  their  homes  in  Virginia  and 
New  England,  it  was  the  transplanting  of  liberty  to  a  continent  where 
everything  was  new,  and  where  the  conditions  that  surrounded  them 
were  wholly  unlike  those  of  the  Old  World. 

This  volume  is  an  outline  of  some  of  the  principal  events  that  tran 
spired  during  the  colonial  period  of  our  country,  and  portrays  the  hard 
ships  and  sufferings  of  those  who  laid  the  foundations  of  a  new  empire. 
It  will  show  how  the  Old  World  laws,  habits,  and  customs  were  gradually 
changed ;  how  the  grand  ideas  of  Freedom  and  the  Rights  of  Man  took 
root  and  flourished.  It  covers  the  period  from  the  discovery  and  settle 
ment  of  America  to  the  Revolutionary  War.  In  1876  I  wrote  a  volume 
entitled  "  The  Boys  of  '76  " — a  narrative  of  the  battles  of  the  Revolution, 
and  of  the  trials  and  devotion  of  our  fathers  in  establishing  the  indepen 
dence  of  the  United  States.  While  preparing  that  work,  I  discovered 
that  there  was  no  volume  in  existence  that  would  give  the  young  people 
of  our  country  an  idea  of  the  struggles  of  men  in  England  and  Europe 
against  the  tyranny  of  emperors,  kings,  popes,  archbishops,  bishops,  and 
inquisitors ;  to  supply  that  want,  I  wrote  a  second  volume,  entitled  "  The 
Story  of  Liberty,"  which  traced  a  chain  of  events  through  a  period  of  five 
hundred  years,  from  the  signing  of  the  Magna  Charta  to  the  settlement  of 
Jamestown  and  Plymouth.  This  volume,  therefore,  fills  the  gap  between 
the  others  in  time,  and  together  they  make  a  series,  not  of  general  history, 
but  an  outline  history  of  the  progress  of  ideas. 


(5  PPEFACE. 

I  desire' to  call  your  attention  to  a  few  tilings  which  will  be  made 
plain  in  this  volume.  You  will  notice  that  the  beginning  of  the  history 
of  our  country  is  clear  and  distinct,  while  the  beginnings  of  the  histories 
of  other  countries  are  obscured  by  tradition  or  made  doubtful  by  fable. 
Our  early  history  is  definite;  the  early  history  of  other  lands  uncertain. 

The  history  of  a  nation  is  like  the  flowing  of  a  river  ;  there  are  many 
rivulets  starting  wide  apart,  which  unite  to  swell  the  ever -deepening 
stream.  Many  of  the  fountain-heads  of  American  history  are  in  England 
and  Europe;  and  in  order  to  obtain  a  correct  view  of  what  transpired  in 
the  colonies,  we  must  cross  the  Atlantic  and  follow  the  rivulets  to  their 
sources.  The  tracing  of  the  relationship  of  one  event  to  another,  and 
showing  their  effect  upon  the  human  race,  is  the  philosophy  of  history, 
and  by  studying  the  philosophy  we  are  able  to  arrive  at  some  conclusion 
as  to  its  meaning. 

You  will  notice  how,  through  priority  of  discovery,  Spain,  France,  and 
England  claimed  various  sections  of  this  continent,  and  how  conflicting 
claims  led  to  a  great  struggle  between  England  and  France  for  suprem 
acy  ;  that  it  was  a  conflict  between  two  races,  two  languages,  two  relig 
ions,  two  systems  of  laws,  two  distinct  civilizations;  that  great  ideas  were 
behind  the  struggle.  In  the  opening  chapter  you  will  read  how  John 
and  Sebastian  Cabot  sailed  along  the  northern  coasts,  how  Jacques  Cartier 
sailed  up  the  St.  Lawrence ;  the  closing  pages  will  picture  a  battle  on  the 
Plains  of  Abraham.  It  was  an  engagement  which  lasted  only  a  few 
minutes,  yet  it  was  one  of  the  great  decisive  battles  of  the  world — mo 
mentous  in  its  results.  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot,  Cartier,  Champlain, 
the  Kings  of  France  and  England,  the  Pope,  Ignatius  Loyola,  the  Jesuits, 
Oliver  Cromwell,  the  Pilgrims  of  tlte  Mayflower,  the  Puritans,  are  as  in 
separably  connected  with  that  battle  as  William  Pitt,  James  Wolfe,  and 
the  Marquis  de  Mont  calm.  The  history  of  the  entire  colonial  period  leads 
up  to  it. 

You  will  notice  that  the  forces  of  Nature — the  turning  of  the  earth 
upon  its  axis,  the  flowing  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  the  contour  of  mountain 
ranges,  the  courses  of  the  rivers,  have  had  a  far-reaching  influence  upon 
the  history  of  our  country.  The  rivers  were  the  highways  along  which 
the  Indians  paddled  their  canoes  to  fall  upon  the  settlers — along  which 
the  armies  of  England  and  France  marched  to  engage  in  battle.  Moun, 


PREFACE.  7 

tains  were  barriers,  stopping  awhile  the  progress  of  civilization,  and  also 
shielding  the  colonies  from  attack.  Not  only  these,  but  the  order  of  the 
Pope  forbidding  people  to  eat  meat  on  Fridays,  saints'  days,  and  during 
Lent,  but  granting  permission  to  eat  fish,  the  desire  of  the  people  of  Eu 
rope  to  wear  hats  made  from  the  glossy  fur  of  the  beaver,  the  love  for 
tobacco,  their  ideas  of  holding  men  in  slavery,  are  forces  that  have  had 
much  to  do  in  shaping  the  history  of  our  country. 

The  longing  for  adventure,  the  hunger  for  gold,  led  to  the  settlement 
of  Virginia.  Through  convictions  of  duty  and  obligations  to  God,  the 
Pilgrims  were  driven  from  England  to  Holland,  and  across  the  Atlantic, 
to  begin  self-government,  and  to  give  to  the  world  the  ideal  of  a  written 
constitution.  The  hatred  of  the  Puritans  to  the  ritual  of  the  Church  of 
England,  the  determination  of  the  bishops  and  archbishops  to  compel  them 
to  conform  to  it,  are  great  fountain-heads  of  history.  The  inner  light 
which  illumined  the  soul  of  George  Fox,  the  stern  convictions  of  Roger 
Williams,  of  his  obligation  to  conscience,  are  forces  which  give  direction 
to  the  course  of  events.  All  the  motives  by  which  men  are  actuated — • 
their  passions,  affections,  religious  convictions,4 the  selfish  ends  —  are  part 
and  parcel  of  the  grand  drama  of  Time. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  meaning  of  history.  Surely  it  has  a  meaning, 
else  what  are  we  living  for?  Whichever  way  we  turn  in  the  material 
world  we  find  things  needful  for  our  use,  and  we  think  of  them  as  God's 
forethoughts,  and  as  designed  for  our  welfare.  If  there  is  design  in  the 
material  world,  there  must  be  some  meaning  to  history,  some  ultimate 
end  to  be  accomplished.  In  "The  Story  of  Liberty,"  and  in  this  volume, 
you  will  see  how  Tyranny  and  Wrong  have  fought  against  Liberty  and 
Justice ;  how  that  banner  which  the  barons  flung  to  the  breeze  at  Runny- 
mede,  inscribed  with  the  rights  of  man,  which  Cromwell  bore  amidst  the 
carnage  of  Marston  Moor,  which  waved  from  the  mast-head  of  the  May 
flower  when  that  lone  vessel  crossed  the  Atlantic,  has  never  been  trailed 
in  the  dust  in  this  Western  World ;  but  Tyranny  and  Wrong  have  gone 
down  before  it.  Through  the  colonial  period  there  was  an  advance  of 
principles  which  are  eternal  in  their  nature.  All  through  those  years 
conditions  and  influences  were  preparing  men  for  self-government.  Men 
die,  generations  come  and  go,  but  ideas  live  on.  When  the  world  was  , 
ready  for  it,  and  not  before,  the  American  Revolution  came,  with  the  an- 


8  PREFACE. 

nouncement  that  all  men  are  created  free  and  equal,  and  endowed  with 
inalienable  rights. 

Through  all  the  narratives  of  wars,  massacres,  and  bloodshed,  you  will 
see  Right,  Justice,  and  Liberty  ever  advancing.  "  Old  Times  in  the  Col 
onies,"  therefore,  is  not  an  unmeaning  record  of  events,  but  the  story  of 
the  rise  of  a  great  nation,  the  growth  of  individual  liberty,  the  coming  in 
of  constitutional  government  in  this  Western  World — the  history  of  the 
first  period  in  the  new  era  in  human  affairs. 

As  you  peruse  these  pages,  the  conviction,  I  trust,  will  come  that,  un 
der  the  power  of  great  ideas,  our  country  is  leading  the  human  race  in 
its  march  toward  a  state  of  society  inexpressibly  grand  and  glorious. 

CHAKLES  CARLETON  COFFIN. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  PAG. 

DISCOVERT  OF  SAN  SALVADOR 17 

'CHAPTER  II. 
FORCES  OF  CIVILIZATION 37 

CHAPTER  III. 
FIRST  SETTLEMENTS 54 

CHAPTER   IV. 
THE  WISE  FOOL  OF  ENGLAND  AND  HIS  TIMES 72 

CHAPTER   V. 
THE  BEGINNING  OF  Two  CIVILIZATIONS 87 

CHAPTER  VI. 
How  BEAVER-SKINS  AND  TOBACCO  HELPED  ON  CIVILIZATION 97 

CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  PILGRIMS Ill 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
FIRST  YEARS  AT  PLYMOUTH 129 

CHAPTER  IX. 
SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE,  NEW  YORK,  AND  CANADA 141 

CHAPTER  X. 
THE  PURITAN  BEGINNING 152 

CHAPTER  XL 
THE  PURITANS  TAKE  POSSESSION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND 171 

CHAPTER  XII. 

RHODE  ISLAND  AND  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 184 

1* 


195 

AFFAIRS  AT  MANHATTAN 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LIBERTY  IN  ENGLAND,  AND  How  IT  AFFECTED  AMERICA 206 

CHAPTER   XV. 

216 
THE  QUAKERS 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

224 
THE  END  OF  DUTCH  RULE  IN  AMERICA 

CHAPTER   XVII. 
THE  TIMES  OF  CHARLES  II 234 

CHAPTER  XVI II. 
KING  PHILIP'S  WAR • 

CHAPTER   XIX. 
Louis  FRONTENAC  IN  CANADA 2r>1 

CHAPTER  XX. 
GOVERNOR  BERKELEY  AND  THE  VIRGINIANS 259 

CHAPTER   XXI. 
How  THE  KING  TOOK  AWAY  THE  CHARTERS  OF  THE  COLONIES 265 

CHAPTER   XXII. 
KING  WILLIAM'S  WAR 271 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 
NEW  JERSEY  AND  MARYLAND 291 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 
SETTLEMENT  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 297 

CHAPTER   XXV. 
WITCHES 303 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
THE  LEGACY  OF  BLOOD 318 

CHAPTER   XXVII. 
MAINE  AND  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 32g 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
THE  CAROLINAS 337 


CONTENTS.  11 


CHAPTER  XXIX.  PAGB 

GEORGIA 350 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
THE  NEGRO  TRAGEDY 357 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
THE  BEGINNING  OF  A  GREAT  STRUGGLE 363 

CHAPTER   XXXII. 
DEFEAT  OF  GENERAL  BRADDOCK 374 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
THE  EMPEROR  OF  AUSTRIA'S  WILL 389 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
INCOMPETENT  AND  COWARDLY  GENERALS 408 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
Two  CIVILIZATIONS 421 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
THE  DESTINY  OF  AN  EMPIRE 437 

INDEX..  456 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Battle  of  the  Plains  of  Abraham.. ..Frontispiece 

Icebergs  between  Europe  and  America 18 

Food  for  Fishes 19 

What  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot  Saw 20 

Columbiis's  Spring 22 

Foliage  of  Florida 23 

Church  Built  by  Cortez 24 

Spanish  Discoveries 25 

John  Verrazano 25 

The  Gloomy  Solitudes 26 

Where  Carrier  passed  the  Winter 28 

De  Soto 29 

Burial  of  De  Soto 30 

St.  Augustine 31 

Palms  on  the  St.  John's 32 

Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert 33 

English  and  French  Discoveries 34 

Chair  made  from  Wood  of  the  Ship  of  Sir 

Francis  Drake... 35 

St.  Malo 37 

Street  in  Morlaix 38 

Homes  of  the  Fishermen  of  Brittany 39 

Fish-house  and  Boats 40 

The  Beaver  and  its  Home 42 

The  Trapper 43 

After  a  Moose 44 

Tobacco 45 

The  Slave-ship 46 

"To  be  sold  as  slaves" 48 

The  Tomahawk  and  Scalping- knife  doing 

Bloody  Work 50 

Dining-room  in  a  Puritan  Manor-house 52 

Riding  out  a  Gale  on  the  Banks 54 

Running  for  Shelter 55 

Strait  of  Canso 56 

Cape  Ann 57 

Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire 58 


De  Monts 59 

Cape  Cod 60 

Monhegan 61 

Pemmaquid 62 

Captain  John  Smith 62 

Arrival  at  Jamestown 68 

Holland 64 

Samuel  Champlain 65 

Tadousac 66 

Quebec  to  the  Sagueuay 67 

The  Beginning  of  Trade  on  the  Hudson....  68 
"They  see  a  lightning  flash,  and  hear  a 

roar" 70 

The  Rocky  Cliffs 73 

Ledge  of  the  Orkneys 74 

The  Bell  -  ringers  Rung  out  their  Joyful 

Peals 75 

Street  Leading  to  Parliament-house 76 

Tobacco-shop.  (From  an  Old  Print.) 78 

The  Dinner 79 

Globe  Theatre 80 

House  in  which  Shakspeare  was  Born 81 

Holy  Trinity  Church,  Stratford 82 

Stratford  Portrait  of  Shakspeare 83 

Bear-garden 84 

Medal  of  James  1 86 

Birthplace  of  Henry  IV 87 

The  Indians  at  Home 88 

Nun  Taking  the  Veil 93 

Mount  Desert 94 

Penobscot  Bay 95 

Smutty-nose 97 

Captain  John  Smith's  Monument,  Isles  of 

Shoals 98 

Captain  Block  building  the  "  Onrust" 99 

View  at  the  Hague 100 

John  of  Barneveld 101 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Going  to  Fight  the  Iroquois 103 

Agreement  between  the  Dutch  and  Iro 
quois  104 

A  Huron  War-dance 105 

Cultivation  of  Tobacco 108 

First  Settlements  on  the  Chesapeake  and 

Delaware 109 

Dutch  Revel.     (From  an  Old  Picture.) 112 

Execution  of  Barneveld.  (From  Motley's 
"Life  and  Death  of  John  of  Barne 
veld.") 113 

Dartmouth 117 

Provincetown 118 


Map 


119 


Plymouth 121 

Where  they  were  Buried 124 

Plymouth  Rock 125 

"  With  tearful  eyes  they  saw  the  white 

sails  fade  away  " 127 

Governor  Bradford's  House 130 

Edward  Winslow 131 

Plymouth  Wilderness 132 

Wampum..... 133 

Kitchen  of  Standish  House , 135 

Captain  Standish  stirring  the  Punch 136 

Standish's  Sword,  and  the  Barrel  of  the 

Gun  with  which  Philip  was  killed 137 

Autographs  of  some  of  the  Pilgrims 139 

The  Pilgrim  Monument,  Plymouth 140 

Mouth  of  the  Piscataqua — Whale's -back 

Light 141 

Landing  of  the  Walloons 143 

Manhattan 144 

On  the  Delaware 144 

Esplanade  Hill,  Quebec 145 

Falls  of  Montmorenci 147 

Court  of  the  White  Horse,  Fontainebleau...  149 

Christmas 154 

Puritan  Settlements  in  New  England 155 

Gloucester,  Massachusetts 156 

John  Eudicott 157 

Entrance  to  Salem  Harbor 153 

Endicott's  Pear-tree 159 

Charles  1 160 

Old-fashioned  Washing  machines 161 

Cosy  the  Homes  they  left  behind  them 163 

John  Winthrop 165 

Groton  Church 


"Norman's  Woe" 167 

The  Cliffs 168 

Blackstone's  House 169 

First  Meeting-house  in  Boston 169 

Statue  of  Governor  Winthrop 170 

Nantucket 171 

Cohasset  Harbor 173 

Old  Meeting-house,  Hingham 174 

Emigrants  at  Night 175 

Lady  Fenwick's  Tomb 176 

Wild  Turkeys 177 

Indian  Rock,  Narragansett 178 

Where  they  Landed 180 

New  Haven 182 

Harvard  College,  1720 184 

General  View  of  the  University  Buildings, 

Cambridge 185 

Where  Roger  Williams  landed 189 

Residence  of  Governor  Coddington,  New 
port,  1641 190 

Old-time  Houses,  Newport 191 

Newport,  from  Fort  Adams 192 

Map 193 

Manhattan 195 

Wouter  Van  Twiller  swearing  Great  Dutch 

Oaths 196 

Paying  Tribute 198 

Gustavus  Adolphus 199 

The  First  Church  in  Philadelphia 200 

Old  Swedes'  Church,  Philadelphia 201 

The  American  Colonies  in  1640 202 

The  Massacre  of  the  Indians 204 

Strafford  on  his  Way  to  Execution 208 

The  Battle-fields 211 

The  Washington  House,  Little  Brington....  212 

Brington  Church 213 

Church   in  which    Sir  John    Washington 

worshipped 214 

George  Fox 216 

Quakers  doing  their  Duty 220 

Old  Town  Church,  Newbury 22J 

Peter   Stuyvesant,  the   Last   Governor   of 

New  Amsterdam 224 

Anna  Merica  Bayard,  Wife  of  Peter  Stuy 
vesant >t  225 

Old  Tiled  Fireplace,  Winthrop  House 227 

The  Dutchman  at  Home ..  228 

The  Van  Cortlandt  Manor-bouse 229 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


15 


PAOK 

His  Lips  were  White 232 

A  Cavalier,  Time  of  Charles  II 235 

Patches,  in  the  Time  of  Charles  II 23G 

Nell  Gwynne.     (From   a   Painting  by   Sir 

Peter  Lely.) 237 

New  Haven 238 

Under  this  Bridge  the  Judges   were  con 
cealed 239 

The  Judges' Cave 240 

Mount  Hope 242 

King  Philip 243 

Fight  at  Tiverton 245 

Only  One  Entrance  across  a  Log 246 

Death  of  Philip 248 

Colbert 251 

A  Trapper  going  his  Rounds 252 

Louis  XIV 253 

The  Rival  Companies  soliciting  Trade 255 

Berkeley,  near  Harrison's  Landing 259 

"All  travel  was  by  boats  on  the  river  "  —   260 

Indian  Massacre 261 

Discussing  the  Charter 266 

The  Charter  Oak 267 

Where  William  Landed 272 

Major  Waldron's  Terrible  Fight 275 

Schenectady 278 

"He     staggers     with     him     through    the 

woods" 283 

Women  Standing  Guard 287 

"A  few  strokes  of  the  paddle  bring  them 

back  to  the  island" 289 

Middle  Colonies 291 

First  Church  in  Newark  292 

The  Old  Schuyler  Mansion 292 

Peter  Schuyler 293 

Arms  of  the  Calvert  Family 293 

First  Mass  in  Maryland 294 

Laying  out  Baltimore 296 

William  Penn 297 

Landing  of  William  Penn  at  Philadelphia.   299 
First  Brick  Building  erected  in  Philadel 
phia—Given  by  Mr.  Penn  to  his  Daughter  300 
James  Logan,  Secretary  to  William  Penn. .  301 

Perm's  House 301 

The  Penn  Seal 302 

Lake  Geneva 304 

Stories   were  Told    of  what   the  Witches 
were  doing 306 


Their  Hearts  Leaping  up  their  Throats 

The  Idea  was  abroad  that  she  had  a  "  ma 
lignant  touch  " 

Thomas  Beadle's  Tavern,  1692 

Rebecca  Nurse's  Home 

Shattuck's  House 

The  Hill  on  which  they  were  Hung 

Palace  of  St.  Germain 

Garrison  House,  York 

In  Ambush 

View  from  Fort  George 

Map 

Death  of  the  Medicine-man 

Building  Ships 

Family  of  Bishop  Berkeley 

Carolina  Home ., 

On  the  Ashley 

Yeamans  Hall,  Goose  Creek 

Dray  ton  Hall,  Western  Front 

Picking  Figs 

Orange  Fruit  and  Flowers 

St.  Michael's  Church 

Landgrave  Smith's  Back  River  Residence.. 

Old  Meeting-house,  Dorchester 

Oglethorpe 

John  Wesley „ 

Charles  Wesley 

The  French  Forts 

"Crack!  crack!  went  the  guns  of  the  In 
dians  " 

Arms  and  Crest  of  the  Washington  Fam- 

iiy 

Mount  Vernon 

Washington  Surveying  Lord  Fairfax's 

Land 

The  Land  in  Dispute 

Braddock's  Head-quarters ., 

Washington's  Talk  with  Braddock 

"They  saw  puffs  of  smoke,  but  few  of  the 

enemy  " 

Braddock's  Grave 

Lake  George 

Joseph  Brant 

Sir  William  Johnson 

Hendrick 

Site  of  Fort  Number  Four 

Cape  Breton 

Following  a  Trail 


PAOK 

307 

308 
311 
313 
315 
316 
319 
321 
323 
330 
332 
333 
335 
336 
338 
339 
340 
341 
342 
343 
344 
345 
346 
351 
353 
354 
364 

365 

368 
369 

371 
374 
378 
379 

381 
383 
384 
385 
386 
386 
389 
390 
391 


16 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Governor  Banning  Wentworth 393 

Wentworth  House,  Little  Harbor 394 

Sir  William  Pepperell's  House 395 

Navy-yard,  Kittery,  Maine 396 

Sir  William  Pepperell 397 

Stockbridge 398 

"  Guarding  their  wives  and  children  " 400 

The  Indians  Aiming  at  the  Loop-holes 406 

The  Expedition 409 

Oswego  in  1755 410 

Fort  at  Oswego 410 

Fort  William  Henry 412 

John  Stark 414 

Paradise  Bay 417 

Plan  of  Fort  William  Henry 418 

Bloody  Pond 419 

Dragging  the  Boats 423 

Lake   George,  from   the  Top   of  Rogers's 

Rock 424 

Earl  of  Bute...  ..  425 


Southern  End  of  Lake  George 426 

"The  great  flotilla  moves  away" 427 

Sabbath-day  Point 428 

The  Northern  End  of  Lake  George 429 

Plan  of  Attack  by  General  Abercrombie  at 

Ticonderoga,  July  8th,  1758 431 

"The  Highlanders  are  brave" 432 

Fort  George 433 

Taking  Possession  of  Fort  Du  Quesne 435 

William  Pitt 437 

Montreal,  1760.     (From  an  Old  Print.)....   438 

Wolfe 441 

Montcalm 442 

Montcalm's  Head-quarters 443 

St.  John's  Gate,  Quebec 444 

The  Place  where  Wolfe  Landed 445 

Battle  of  Quebec 446 

Burning  the  Prisoners 448 

A  Scalp-dance 450 

Wolfe  and  Montcalm's  Monument 452 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

DISCOVERY  OF  SAN  SALVADOR. 

it  was,  a  green  and  sunny  island.  Christopher  Columbus  be- 
-•-  held  it  in  the  dawning  light  of  October  12, 1492 ;  an  earthly  paradise 
with  stately  trees,  fragrant  flowers,  groves  of  oranges  and  bananas,  hang 
ing  vines,  birds  of  bright  plumage,  and  groups  of  dusky  men,  women,  and 
children. 

It  was  San  Salvador,  one  of  the  Bahama  Islands.  A  few  days  later 
Columbus  discovered  Cuba  and  Hispaniola,  now  known  as  St.  Domingo, 
and  returned  to  Spain  with  the  wonderful  news. 

Who  owned  the  islands?  They  were  occupied  by  Indians;  but  the 
Pope,  Alexander  YL,  Roderick  Borgia,  wicked  and  cruel,  a  murderer, 
claiming  to  be  God's  agent  on  earth  and  endowed  with  all  power,  gave 
all  lands  that  might  be  discovered  west  of  an  imaginary  line,  drawn  north 
and  south  one  hundred  leagues  west  of  the  Azores,  to  Ferdinand  and  Isa 
bella,  king  and  queen  of  Spain.  So,  by  priority  of  discovery,  and  by  the 
decree  of  the  Pope,  Spain  entered  upon  the  possession  of  what  Columbus 
had  discovered. 

The  news  reached  England.    The  merchants  of  Bristol  who  were  send- 

O 

ing  their  ships  to  France,  the  Mediterranean,  and  the  North  Sea,  applied 
to  the  king,  Henry  VIL,  for  leave  to  send  out  an  expedition  for  the  dis 
covery  of  new  lands. 

"  If  you  discover  any  countries,  they  shall  be  mine,"  he  said,  asserting 
his  right  to  hold  or  give  away  lands,  against  that  claimed  by  the  Pope. 

"If  you  make  any  money  by  the  expedition,  one-fifth  of  it  shall  be 
mine,"  he  added. 

The  merchants  accepted  the  conditions,  fitted  out  two  vessels  com 
manded  by  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot,  father  and  son,  two  Venetians  in 
2 


IS 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


their  employ  as  sea-captains.  In  May,  1497,  the  ships  sailed  down  the 
river  Severn,  and  steered  west  for  a  voyage  over  unknown  seas,  where 
vessels  had  not  sailed  since  the  days  of  the  old  Northmen. 

In  June  they  found  themselves  on  soundings,  and  the  sea  around 
swarming  with  codfish.  The  water  was  warm,  and  dense  fogs  arose.  A 
little  farther  on  the  water  was  colder,  and  filled  with  icebergs.  They 
had  reached  a  place  where  two  great  currents  of  the  ocean  meet.  They 
did  not  know,  nor  was  it  till  many  years  later  that  anybody  knew,  what 
caused  the  flowing  of  these  currents;  that  the  earth  was  whirling  around 
the  sun,  and  also  turning  on  its  own  axis;  that  the  speed  at  the  equator 
was  eighteen  miles  a  minute. 


ICEBERGS    BETWEEN    EUROPE    AND    AMERICA. 


We  now  know  that  the  revolution  of  the  earth  upon  its  axis  sets  the 
water  between  Africa  and  South  America  to  flowing  westward,  and  that 
when  the  current  strikes  the  coast  of  South  America  it  is  divided,  a  part 
flowing  south  and  part  north.  The  northern  section,  carrying  with  it  the 
fresh  water  brought  down  the  Amazon  and  Orinoco  from  the  Andes  and 
the  plains  of  South  America,  sweeps  into  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and  whirls 


DISCOVERY   OF  SAN  SALVADOR. 


19 


onward  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  being  heated  by  the  sun  to  a  temperature 
of  eighty-six  degrees.  The  Mississippi  pours  in  its  mighty  flood,  bringing 
minute  particles  of  soil  from  the  far  distant  prairies  and  mountains. 


FOOD    FOR    FISHES. 


Having  no  other  outlet,  the  waters  rush  through  the  passage  between 
Florida  and  Cuba,  tearing  great  masses  of  sea -weed  from  the  beds  of 
white  coral,  which  the  coralline  insects  are  building  beneath  the  waves. 
This  river  of  hot  water,  one  thousand  feet  deep  and  fifty  miles  wide, 
sweeps  on  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour,  bearing  the  soil  of  two  conti 
nents,  the  sea-weed,  and  myriads  of  marine  insects — polyps,  star  and  jelly 
fish,  in  infinite  variety.  East  of  Newfoundland  it  meets  a  current  of 
cold  water  flowing  south,  from  the  frozen  region  of  the  North,  bringing 
great  icebergs;  but  the  warm  current  whirls  them  north-east,  speedily 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


WHAT   JOHN    AND    SEBASTIAN    CABOT    SAW. 


\Y«  melting  them,  dropping  the  stones  and  gravel 
torn  from  the  shore  of  Greenland  beneath 
the  sea.  The  fine  particles  of  sand  brought 
down  from  the  Andes  by  the  Amazon,  and  from  the  prairies  of  the  West 
by  the  Mississippi,  also  settle  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  thus  making  that 
portion  of  the  sea  a  great  dumping-place — building  up  the  bank  of  New* 


DISCOVERY  OF  SAN  SALVADOR.  21 

foundland.  The  hot  river  supplies  the  codfish  with  food,  gives  a  mild 
climate  to  England,  and  makes  it  possible  for  men  to  live  in  Iceland  and 
Northern  Norway. 

John  and  Sebastian  Cabot  caught  all  the  fish  they  needed,  and,  sail 
ing  still  west,  on  June  24th  beheld  the  waves  breaking  against  the  rocky 
shore  of  Labrador. 

Since  the  days  of  the  old  Northmen,  no  European  eye  had  seen  the 
main-land  of  the  Western  World.  The  Oabots  sailed  northward  along  a 
bleak  and  forbidding  coast,  with  dense  forests  beyond  the  white  granite 
ledges.  They  saw  white-bears,  floating  on  cakes  of  ice,  plunge  into  the 
sea  and  catch  fish  in  their  paws.  Walruses  and  seals  frequented  the 
shores,  and  myriads  of  birds  reared  their  young  upon  the  rocky  cliffs; 
but  their  provisions  failing,  they  returned  to  England. 

What  a  year  for  discovery  was  1498 !  Stimulated  by  what  he  had 
seen,  Sebastian  Cabot — young  sagacious,  bold  —  sailed  once  more  west 
ward.  He  coasted  along  the  southern  shore  of  Newfoundland,  entered 
the  Bay  of  Fundy,  gazed  upon  the  cliffs  of  Mount  Desert,  the  majestic 
pines  of  Maine,  the  sandy  beaches  of  Cape  Cod,  sailing  southward  to  Vir 
ginia — thus,  by  priority  of  discovery,  enabling  England  to  claim  the  con 
tinent  from  Labrador  to  Cape  Hatteras. 

Christopher  Columbus,  at  the  same  time,  was  making  his  third  voy 
age  ;  discovering  the  island  of  Trinidad,  the  coast  of  South  America  and 
Orinoco.  He  landed,  and  drank  from  a  spring  that  still  bears  his  name. 

There  was  another  brave  sailor  on  the  seas,  Yasco  da  Gama,  of  Portu 
gal,  who  was  sailing  south  along  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  doubling  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope ;  sailing  on  till,  through  the  ocean  haze,  he  beheld 
the  mountains  of  Hindostan,  thus  opening  a  long  sought  for  route  to 
India.  There  was  still  another  voyager  on  the  seas,  Amerigo  Vespucci, 
a  merchant  of  Florence,  engaged  in  trade  at  Seville,  in  Spain,  who,  ani 
mated  by  a  spirit  of  adventure,  sailed  to  the  West  Indies  with  Captain 
Ojeda,  and  from  thence  to  the  coasts  of  South  and  Central  America. 
He  wrote  interesting  accounts  of  what  he  saw,  which  were  published  in 
1507 — probably  the  first  printed  narrative  given  to  the  public  of  the  dis 
coveries  in  the  West.  The  pamphlet  fell  into  the  hands  of  Martin  Wald- 
seemuller,  of  Freibourg,  in  Germany,  who  translated  it  into  German. 
People  spoke  of  the  new  world  as  Amerigo's  country,  and  thus  the  name 
became  attached  to  the  Western  Continent,  though  the  honor  of  discov 
ery  belongs  to  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot. 

The  King  of  Portugal,  desiring  a  share  in  the  new  world,  sent  Gas 
per  Cortereal  upon  a  voyage  of  discovery,  who  sailed  along  the  coast  of 


22 


OLD   TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


I'll1,  ft  l  ' 

COLUMBUS'S    SPRING. 


North  America,  from  Virginia  northward 
to  Newfoundland.  He  enticed  a  num 
ber  of  Indians  on  board  his  ships,  and 
treacherously  carried  them  to  Portugal 
and  sold  them  into  slavery. 

Men  do  not  like  to  grow  old.  How 
gladly  would  they  ever  retain  the  freshness  of  youth !  The  longing  to 
be  young  again  became  a  passion  with  Ponce  de  Leon,  Governor  of  Porto 
Rico.  The  gray  hairs  had  come,  and  there  were  furrows  in  his  cheeks. 
Poets  had  written  of  a  fountain  of  perpetual  youth — a  stream  so  clear, 
and  pure,  and  life-giving,  that  those  who  drank  of  it  would  be  forever 
young  and  fair.  De  Leon  resolved  to  go  in  quest  of  it,  that,  tasting  its 
refreshing  waters,  he  might  ever  be  young. 


DISCOVERY  OF  SAN   SALVADOR. 


23 


He  sailed  from  Porto  Rico,  with  three  vessels,  in  1513.  On  Easter- 
Sunday,  which  the  Spaniards  call  Pasqua  de  Flores,  he  sighted  land  a  few 
miles  north  of  St.  Augustine,  and  took  possession  of  the  country  for  the 
King  of  Spain,  naming  it  Florida.  He  was  charmed  by  its  scenery — the 
wide-spreading  live-oaks,  the  fan-leaved  palmettos,  the  tangle  of  jessamine 
and  honeysuckle,  filling  the  air  with  fragrance ;  but  vain  his  search  for 
the  fabled  Fountain  of  Eternal  Youth ;  and,  after  coasting  along  the 
shores,  landing  here  and  there  and  exploring  the  country,  he  returned  to 
Porto  Rico. 

The  Spaniards  in  the  West  Indies  heard  of  the  wonderful  land  of 
Mexico,  inhabited  by  millions  of  people — a  land  of  cities  and  villages, 
cultivated  fields  and  gardens,  abounding  in  silver  and  gold,  advanced  in 
arts  and  architecture,  with  schools,  courts  of  justice,  and  great  stone 
temples. 


FOLIAGE    OF    FLORIDA. 


On  the  15th  of  February,  1519,  an  expedition,  commanded  by  Her- 
nando  Cortez,  sailed  from  Ravenna  to  conquer  the  empire  of  the  West, 
landing  first  in  Yucatan  ;  again  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Tobasco,  in  the 
Bay  of  Campeachy,  fighting  a  battle  on  the  banks  of  that  stream,  sweep- 


24 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


ing  the  Indians  down  like  grain  before  the  reaper  by  his  cannon  and 
volleys  of  musketry,  beginning  a  series  of  conquests  that  made  him  mas 
ter  of  the  empire  of  the  Montezumas,  and  extending  the  authority  and 

dominion  of  Spain  westward  to  the 
Pacific,  and  northward  to  the  Colo 
rado  and  the  Rio  Grande ;  establish 
ing  the  religion  of  the  Roman  Cath 
olic  Church,  and  the  language  and 
civilization  of  Spain  over  that  vast 
section  of  North  America. 

The  Spaniards  were  in  need  of 
more  slaves  to  work  in  their  mines 
and  cane-fields,  and  to  obtain  them 
Yasquez  D' Ay  lion  visited  the  coast 
of  South  Carolina  in  1520.  He  called 
the  country  Chicora,  and  entered  the 
Combahee  River,  which  he  named 
the  Jordan,  and  gave  the  name  of 
St.  Helen  to  the  cape  which  bounds 
St.  Helen's  Sound  on  the  south.  The 
Indians  received  him  kindly,  accept 
ed  his  trinkets,  flocked  in  great  numbers  on  board  the  ships,  when  he 
treacherously  seized  them,  hoisted  his  sails,  and  carried  them  away.  But 
it  was  to  little  profit;  for,  knowing  nothing  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  one  of 
his  vessels  was  borne  upon  rocks  by  the  current,  and  wrecked,  while  upon 
the  other  the  captives  sickened  and  died.  D'Ayllon  made  his  second 
appearance  in  St.  Helen's  Sound  in  1525,  where  one  of  his  vessels  was 
wrecked.  The  Indians  attacked  him,  and  drove  him  on  board  his  ships, 
mortally  wounding  him.  Instead  of  conquering  them,  and  establishing 
the  Spanish  language  and  the  Catholic  religion  in  Carolina,  as  Cortez 
was  doing  in  Mexico,  he  returned  to  Cuba  to  die. 

Francis  I.  was  King  of  France.  He  had  desired  to  be  Emperor  of 
Germany,  but  his  rival,  Charles  Y.  of  Spain,  had  been  elected  instead ; 
besides  this,  the  Pope  had  given  the  whole  Western  Continent  to  Spain. 

"I  should  like  to  be  shown  the  clause  in  the  will  of  Adam  which 
disinherits  me  in  the  New  World !"  he  bitterly  exclaimed. 

Francis  despatched  John  Yerrazano  on  a  voyage  of  discovery  in  the 
ship  Dolphin  from  Dieppe,  January  24th,  1524.  He  reached  South  Caro 
lina  in  March,  and  sailed  northward  along  the  coast,  entering  Narragansett 
Bay  and  the  harbor  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  passing  around  Cape  Cod  to  the 


CHURCH    BUILT    BY   CORTEZ. 


DISCOVERY   OF  SAN  SALVADOR. 


25 


coast  of  Maine.     He  landed  in  many  places,  and  bad  interviews  with  the 
Indians. 

In  January,  1525,  Stephen  Gomez  sailed  from  Cornnna,  in  Spain,  en 
tered  the  Hudson  River  on  St.  Anthony's  day,  June  13th,  named  it  St. 
Anthony.  He  seized  some  of  the  Indians,  taking  them  to  Spain  and  sell- 


SPANISH    DISCOVERIES. 


ing  them.     The  country  was  cold,  and  he  reported  that  Spaniards 
not  live  there. 

Hunger  for  gold,  desire  for  con 
quest,  zeal  for  the  establishment  of 
religion,  thirst  for  adventure — are 
there  any  stronger  motives  than 
these  to  lead  men  to  brave  danger 
or  endure  hardships?  Moved  by- 
such  motives,  Pamphilio  Narvaez, 
Cabez  de  Yaca,  and  several  hun 
dred  young  men  from  the  rich 
and  noble  families  of  Spain,  sailed 
from  the  Guadalquiver  for  Amer 
ica,  landing  in  Tampa  Bay,  on  the 
west  coast  of  Florida,  April  14th, 
1528,  taking  possession  of  the  coun 
try  for  the  King  of  Spain.  The 


could 


JOHN    VEURAZANO. 


26 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


THE    GLOOMY    SOLITUDES. 


Indians  that  flocked  around  them  were  in  possession  of  gold  ornaments. 
When  asked  where  they  obtained  them,  they  pointed  to  the  north. 

Narvaez  marched  in  that  direction.     There  were  three  hundred  in  the 
party,  with  horses  and  small  cannon.     Never  before  had  the  eyes  of  the 


DISCOVERY  OF   SAN  SALVADOR. 


27 


adventurers  beheld  such  gloomy  solitudes  —  dense  forests  of  pine,  dark 
groves  of  cypress,  wide -spreading  oaks  with  long  trails  of  gray  moss 
drooping  from  the  branches,  magnolias  filling  the  air  with  their  overpow 
ering  fragrance.  They  toiled  through  swamps;  bays,  inlets,  and  rivers 
impeded  their  progress,  and  their  way  was  blocked  by  decaying  trees  torn 
up  by  whirlwinds  and  blasted  by  lightning.  They  saw  strange  animals 
— the  opossum,  that  carried  its  young  in  a  pocket;  panthers  prowled 
around  them,  and  bears.  At  every  stream  they  were  compelled  to  con 
struct  rafts.  They  had  little  to  eat.  They  expected  to  find  rich  and 
populous  Indian  towns,  but  only  beheld  clusters  of  wigwams. 


JACQUES    CAKTIKR. 


In  August  they  were  at  St.  Mark's,  on  Appolodree  Bay ;  but  their 
ships  had  not  arrived,  nor  did  they  ever  see  them  again.  They  began 
the  construction  of  boats,  making  their  swords  into  saws  and  axes,  their 
stirrups  and  the  bits  of  their  bridles  into  nails.  They  plundered  the  In- 


28 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


dian  corn-fields  to  obtain  food,  and  ate  their  horses.  They  twisted  the 
film  of  the  palmetto  and  the  hair  of  their  horses'  manes  and  tails  into 
ropes;  calked  the  seams  of  the  boats  with  grass,  and  smeared  them  with 
pitch;  sewed  their  shirts  together  for  sails;  made  water-bottles  of  the 


WHERE    CARTIER    PASSED    THE    WINTER. 


skins  of  their  horses  ;  and  on  the  2d  of  September  embarked,  two  hun 
dred  and  fifty  in  number,  in  five  frail  vessels,  so  deeply  loaded  that  the 
gunwales  were  hardly  six  inches  above  the  water.  They  seized  some  In 
dian  canoes,  split  them  in  pieces,  and  built  up  the  sides  of  their  boats. 
Slowly  they  crept  along  the  shore  westward.  On  the  30th  of  October 
they  reached  the  Mississippi,  and  tried  to  enter  it,  but  the  current  swept 
them  back.  On  the  5th  of  November  two  of  their  boats  were  wrecked 
not  far  from  Galveston,  and  the  others  were  driven  out  to  sea.  Of  the 
company  all  but  four  —  De  Vasca,  Dorantes,  Castillo,  and  Estevarrico  —  per- 


DISCOVERY  OF  SAN  SALVADOR.  29 

ished.  They  made  themselves  at  home  among  the  Indians,  learned  their 
language,  passed  from  tribe  to  tribe,  travelled  northward  through  Texas 
to  the  Canadian  River  and  westward  to  the  Rio  Grande,  and  from  thence 
to  San  Miguel,  in  Sonora,  which  they  reached  in  1536,  where  they  found 
some  of  the  soldiers  of  Cortez,  who  conducted  them  to  the  city  of  Mexico. 

Jacques  Cartier,  a  Frenchman,  entered  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  in 
1534,  and  set  up  a  cross  at  Gaspe,  claiming  the  country  for  France.  The 
next  year  he  made  a  second  voyage  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  beheld  the 
gloomy  gorges  of  the  Saguenay,  and  dropped  anchor  in  the  Bay  of  Or 
leans.  LTpon  the  northern  shore,  under  a  rocky  cliff,  was  a  cluster  of  wig 
wams  ;  the  Indians  called  the  place  Stadacone.  Little  did  Cartier  think 
that  on  the  plateau  behind  the  town  the  last  decisive  battle  between 
France  and  England  for  supremacy  in  America  would  be  fought ;  that 
upon  the  site  of  the  wigwams  would  rise  the  city  of  Quebec.  Cartier 
sailed  up  the  river  in  a  boat,  to  a  town  which  the  Indians  called  Hoche- 
laga.  A  hill  which  overlooked  the  town  and  all  the  surrounding  coun 
try  he  named  Mont  Royal — which  time  has  changed  to  Montreal.  The 
ice  closed  around  Carrier's  ship  before  he  could  get  away,  and  he  spent 
the  long  winter  at  Stadacone,  returning  to  France  in  the  spring. 

Cabeza  de  Vaca,  who  had  experienced  such  hardships  in  his  journey 
from  Florida  through  Texas  to  Mexico,  reached  Cuba.  His  accounts  of 
what  he  had  seen  fired  the  ardor  of  Ferdinand  de  Soto,  Governor  of  the 
island,  who  had  been  with  Pizarro  in  Peru.  He  resolved  to  conquer 
Florida,  and  landed  on  its  western  coast,  near  Hillsborough  River,  with 
six  hundred  men  ;  marched  north 
through  Georgia,  Alabama,  Missis 
sippi,  crossing  the  Mississippi  near 
the  boundary  of  Tennessee,  explor 
ing  the  country  north  to  New  Mad 
rid,  in  Missouri,  and  west  to  the 
western  boundary  of  Arkansas.  At 
the  mouth  of  the  Red  River,  De 
Soto  died,  and  was  buried  beneath 
the  waters  of  the  Mississippi.  The 
survivors  of  the  party  wandered  in 
Louisiana  till  July,  1543,  when  they 
constructed  boats,  descended  the 
Mississippi,  reached  the  Gulf,  and 
made  their  way  west  to  the  Span 
ish  settlements  in  Mexico.  J>E  SOTO. 


30  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

Cabeza  de  Yaca  and  his  companions,  while  in.  Texas  and  Mexico, 
heard  of  a  country  still  farther  north  which  the  Indians  called  Cibola. 


BURIAL    OF    DE    SOTO. 

The  Governor  of  Western  Mexico,  Coronado,  resolved  to  conquer  it.  He 
despatched  two  vessels  up  the  Gulf  of  California,  which  ascended  the  Col 
orado  River  about  eighty-live  miles  beyond  the  present  boundary  between 
Mexico  and  the  United  States.  Coronado  himself  with  an  army  marched 
to  Central  Arizona,  and  eastward  to  Santa  Fe,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  claim 
ing  the  country  for  the  King  of  Spain. 

While  Coronado  was  marching  through  Arizona,  Francis  de  la  Roque 
and  Cartier  were  planning  the  colonization  of  Canada.  They  made  a 
settlement  at  Quebec,  but  the  winter  was  cold,  the  emigrants  pined  for 
home,  and  they  went  back  to  France. 

The  Dominican  priests  in  Cuba  and  Spain  had  set  their  hearts  on  con 
verting  the  Indians  of  Florida,  and,  in  1549,  Louis  Cancella  and  several 
other  priests  endeavored  to  establish  a  mission.  The  Indians  had  not  for 
gotten  the  cruelties  of  D'Ayllon,  Narvaez,  and  De  Soto,  and  in  revenge 
killed  several  of  the  priests,  and  compelled  the  others  to  leave  the 
country. 

The  Huguenots  of  France  were  heretics,  and  the  Catholics  were  hunt 
ing  them  down.  John  Ribault,  of  Dieppe,  turned  his  eyes  to  America  as 
a  place  of  refuge  for  himself  and  friends.  He  sailed  to  Carolina,  and  left 
twenty-six  men  to  begin  a  settlement  at  Port  Royal.  When  he  returned  to 
France  civil  war  was  raging,  and  he  could  send  no  supplies.  The  men  at 


DISCOVERY  OF  SAN  SALVADOR. 


31 


Port  Royal  were  homesick.  Their  provisions  failed.  They  built  a  small 
vessel  and  set  sail.  Some  died,  but  the  others  were  picked  up  by  an  Eng 
lish  vessel  and  saved.  Two  years  passed.  There  was  a  lull  in  the  strife 
between  Catholics  and  Protestants  in  France,  and  Ribault  began  another 
settlement,  on  the  St.  John's  River,  in  Florida.  Several  hundred  Hu 
guenots,  with  their  families,  weary  of  the  strife  in  France,  emigrated  to 
Florida- 

The  news  reached  Spain.  French  heretics  on  Spanish  soil !  What  an 
outrage  !  They  were  Frenchmen,  and  must  be  driven  out :  heretics — and 
must  be  exterminated.  A  heretic — one  who  did  not  recognize  the  Pope  as 
head  of  the  Church — must  be  put  to  the  sword,  as  an  enemy  of  God  and 
man. 

Philip  Melendez,  fired  with  zeal  for  the  Church,  stimulated  by  the 
preaching  of  the  Jesuit  priests  and  bishops,  quickly  gathered  an  army. 
The  high-born  sons  of  Spain  enlisted  under  his  banner  to  wipe  out  the 
insult  to  Spain  and  to  the  holy  Catholic  Church.  A  great  company  of 
priests  joined  in  the  enterprise.  With  twenty-five  hundred  men  he  made 
his  appearance  on  the  coast  of  Florida.  It  was  St.  Augustine's  day,  and 
he  discovered  a  beautiful  harbor  to  wrhich  he  gave  the  name  of  the  saint. 


ST.   AUGUSTINK. 


He  approached  Fort  Carolina.  Eibault's  vessels  went  out  to  meet  him. 
A  storm  came  on,  and  the  French  vessels  were  wrecked ;  but  Melendez 
reached  the  harbor  at  St.  Augustine.  Fort  Carolina  was  defenceless,  and 
he  marched  overland,  entered  it  without  opposition,  and  massacred  men, 
women,  and  children,  old  and  young,  sick  and  helpless,  alike.  A  W  men 
only  escaped  on  two  little  vessels. 


32 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


Upon  the  smouldering  ruins  of  the  fort,  amidst  the  ghastly  forms  of 
mangled  corpses,  Melendez  reared  a  cross,  with  this  inscription  : 

"  NOT  AS  TO  FRENCHMEN,  BUT  AS  LUTHERANS." 

The  Jesuit  priests  chanted  a  Te  Peum,  and,  laden  with  the  spoil,  the 
army  returned  to  St.  Augustine. 


PALMS    ON   THE    ST.  JOHN  S. 


The  shipwrecked  sailors  of  the  French  fleet,  living  on  roots,  frogs,  and 
alligators,  gave  themselves  up  as  prisoners.  Their  hands  were  tied  behind 
them,  and  then  the  work  of  death  began.  Those  who  were  Catholics  were 
spared  to  become  slaves;  the  others  were  inhumanly  butchered. 

Beneath  the  palmettos,  on  the  banks  where  the  alligators  lay  basking 
in  the  sun  of  the  St.  John's,  and  on  the  beach  of  the  St.  Augustine,  lay 
the  mangled  bodies  of  nine  hundred  men,  women,  and  children,  murdered 
through  bigotry  and  hate ;  while  over  the  gloomy  scene  priestly  hands 


DISCOVERY  OF   SAN  SALVADOR. 


33 


held  the  cross,  emblem  of  love  and  peace,  amidst  the  chantings  of  a  Gloria 
to  Almighty  God. 

The  work  of  death  done,  the  work  of  colonization  began.  Forts  were 
built  at  St.  Augustine,  a  town  laid  out,  a  chapel  and  houses  erected.  It 
tfas  the  first  permanent  settlement  within  the  present  boundaries  of  the 
United  States,  begun  in  1565. 

Intelligence  of  the  horrible  massacre  reached  the  ears  of  Dominic  de 
Gourges  in  France.  He  was  a  Huguenot  and  wealthy,  but  of  what  value 
was  wealth  with  so  terrible  a  crime  unavenged  ?  He  sold  his  estates,  pur 
chased  ships,  enlisted  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  sailed  secretly,  captured 
the  garrison  in  a  fort  on  the  St.  John's,  hung  the  captives  upon  the  wide- 
spreading  branches  of  the  surrounding  trees,  with  this  inscription  above 


them: 


"NOT  AS  UNTO  SPANIARDS,  BUT  AS  TO  MURDERERS." 


He  was  too  weak  to  attack  St.  Augustine,  and  sailed  for  France,  having 
only  in  part  accomplished  his  purpose. 

Sir  Francis  Drake,  with  three  ships,  had  passed  through  the  Straits  of 
Magellan  to  wage  war  upon  the  Spaniards  in  Peru.  One  of  his  ships  had 
been  wrecked ;  the  others  had  sailed  he  knew  not  where ;  but  in  the  Pel 
ican  he  carried  havoc  to  the  Spanish  towns.  In  June,  1579,  he  was  so  far 
north  off  the  coast  of  Oregon  that  his  crew  complained  of  the  coll  In 
a  spacious  harbor — possibly  in  the 
Bay  of  San  Francisco — he  refitted 
his  ships,  made  a  map  of  the  coast, 
and  gave  the  name  of  New  Albion 
to  the  country.  From  thence  he 
sailed  west  across  the  Pacific,  re 
turning  to  England  by  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope. 

Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  sailed 
from  England  in  1583,  with  five 
small  vessels,  on  a  voyage  of  dis 
covery.  On  the  3d  of  August  he 
dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of 
St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  where 
he  found  thirty-six  vessels.  The 
crews  were  catching  fish  and  dry-  SIR  HUMPHREY  GILBERT. 

ing  them  on  the  rocks.     Sir  Hum 
phrey  informed  the  fishermen  that  the  island  belonged  to  Queen  Eliza 
beth,  and  that  they  must  obey  the  laws  of  England.     If  any  one  said 


34:  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

anything  against  it  he  was  to  have  his  ears  cropped  off,  and  lose  his 
goods  The  fishermen  for  many  years  had  been  drying  their  fish  on  the 
rocks,  but  now  they  were  informed  that  they  must  pay  for  the  privilege. 
It  was  the  beginning  of  a  controversy  about  fish  which  has  lasted  three 
hundred  years,  and  which  is  not  yet  settled. 

Having  set  up  the  authority  of  Elizabeth,  Sir  Humphrey  sailed  for 


KNGLISH    AND    FRENCH    DISCO VERIKS. 


DISCOVERY  OF   SAN   SALVADOR. 


35 


England,  but  his  vessel  went  down  in  a  storm  with  all  on  board;   the 
other  vessel  reached  England  in  safety. 

Sir  Walter  Ealeigh  had  large  ideas  in  regard  to  America,  and  greatly 
desired  to  have  England  obtain  a  foothold  in  the  New  World.  He  sent 
two  vessels,  commanded  by  Philip  Amadas  and  Arthur  Barlow,  to  explore 
the  coast.  They  sailed  south-west,  and  on  the  3d  of  July,  1584,  found 
themselves  off  the  coast  of  North  Carolina.  They  were  kindly  received 
by  the  Indians,  and,  upon  their  return  to  England,  gave  such  a  satisfac 
tory  account  of  the  country  that  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh  sent  a  few  men  to 
establish  a  colony. 

Sir  Francis  Drake  was  ranging 
the  seas,  destroying  the  ships,  and 
plundering  towns  in  the  West  Indies 
which  he  called  "singeing  the  beard 
of  the  King  of  Spain."  He  plun 
dered  Porto  Rico  and  St.  Augustine, 
then  sailed  along  the  coast  and  dis 
covered  Sir  Walter's  colony.  The 
settlers  longed  to  see  England  once 
more,  and  sailed  writh  him  for  their 
old  home.  They  bad  but  just  gone, 
however,  when  Sir  Richard  Gren- 
ville  arrived  at  the  abandoned  settle 
ment  with  supplies,  which  Sir  Walter 
had  sent.  The  houses  were  there, 
and  the  fields  of  wheat  ready  for  the 
sickle.  Sir  Richard,  not  willing  to 
give  up  the  enterprise,  landed  fifteen 
men  on  Roanoke  Island,  with  two 
years'  provisions,  to  bold  the  country  against  Spain  ;  but  the  men  quar 
relled  with  the  Indians,  and  were  destroyed. 

Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  instead  of  being  disheartened,  sent  out  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  colonists  to  found  the  city  of  Raleigh.  John  White  was 
governor ;  he  laid  out  a  town  on  Roanoke  Island. 

On  the  18th  of  August,  1587,  Mrs.  Dare  gave  birth  to  a  daughter, 
who  was  named  Virginia  —  the  first  child  of  English  parents  born  in 
America. 

The  ships  departed  for  England,  and  when  they  again  returned  to 
America  the  colonists  had  disappeared.  The  houses  were  there,  but 


CHAIR    MADE     FROM     WOOD     OF     THE     SHIP    O* 
SIR    FRANCIS    DRAKE. 


36  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

weeds  were  growing  in  the  yards.     What  became  of  the  settlers  no  one 
ever  knew. 

From  these  voyages  and  discoveries,  covering  a  period  of  one  hun 
dred  years,  it  came  about  that  Spain,  England,  and  France,  by  priority 
of  discovery,  could  lay  claim  to  various  sections  of  the  New  World. 


FORCES  OF  CIVILIZATION. 


37 


CHAPTER  II. 

FORCES  OF   CIVILIZATION. 

!  fish !  the  sea  swarming  with  fish  !" 

That  was  the  news  carried  to  England,  in  1497,  by  John  and  Se 
bastian  Cabot.  The  people  across  the  Channel,  in  Brittany  and  Normandy, 
heard  of  the  discovery  ;  they  were  accustomed  to  brave  the  dangers  of 
the  sea;  to  make  hazardous  voyages  in  their  little  fishing -boats;  and  it 
was  not  long  before  the  sailors  of  St.  Malo,  Honfleur,  Morlaix,  and  other 


TT^ 


ST.  MALO. 


quaint  old  towns  along  the  coast,  were  bidding  good-bye  to  their  friends, 
leaving  their  humble  homes,  and  spreading  their  sails  for  a  trip  to  a  re 
gion  all  unknown  till  traversed  by  the  Cabots. 

The  fishermen  of  Honfleur  steered  west,  past  the  Jersey  Islands,  till 
they  came  to  the  wonderful  fishing-ground,  where  they  soon  filled  their 
boats,  and  returned  to  spread  the  welcome  news. 

No  one  knows  exactly  how  it  came  about,  but  many  years  before  the 
discovery  of  the  New  World  the  Pope  decreed  that  it  was  wicked  to  eat 
meat  on  Fridays,  saints'  days,  or  during  Lent,  but  that  it  was  not  wrong 
to  eat  fish.  There  were  so  many  saints  to  be  honored  that  on  more  than 


38 


OLD  TIMES  IN   THE  COLONIES. 


one  hundred  days  during  the  year  no  meat  could  be  eaten,  and  in  conse 
quence  there  was  a  great  demand  for  fish. 

The  people  of  Brittany  were  all  good  Catholics,  and,  for  that  matter, 
there  were  no  Protestants  anywhere ;  everybody  accepted  the  Pope  as 
the  head  of  the  Church.  The  people  in  the  old  towns  counted  their  beads, 


STREET   IN  MORLAIX. 


said  their  prayers  devoutly,  and  sailed  boldly  out  upon  the  stormy  ocean, 
enduring  great  hardships.  They  reached  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland, 
moored  their  frail  vessels  in  the  harbor  of  St.  John's,  dried  their  fish  upon 
the  rocks,  and  then,  with  full  cargoes,  sailed  away  to  find  a  market  in  the 
seaports  of  Portugal,  Spain,  France,  England,  and  Holland. 


FORCES  OF  CIVILIZATION. 


39 


In  1527  the  captain  of  an  English  vessel  wrote  to  the  King  of  Eng 
land  that  the  French  were  occupying  the  fishing-ground  that  belonged  to 
the  English;  that  he  found  twelve  vessels  from  Brittany  in  one  of  the 
harbors  of  Newfoundland;  that  the  Bretons  were  dressing  and  drying 
their  fish  upon  the  rocks,  and  taking  possession  of  the  countrv ;  that  one 
of  the  islands  was  named  Cape  Breton. 


HOMES    OF    THE    FISHERMEN    OF    BRITTANY. 


After  awhile  the  question  arose  as  to  who  owned  the  fishing-ground. 
England  claimed  it  because  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot  had  discovered  it. 
France  claimed  that  the  ocean  was  free,  and  that  England  could  not  set 
up  any  boundaries  on  the  water ;  that  fishermen  of  France  had  just  as 
much  right  as  Englishmen  to  catch  codfish  on  the  Banks  of  Newfound 
land. 

The  question  involved  the  dominion  of  the  seas.  We  shall  see,  as  this 
narrative  goes  on,  that  this  controversy,  in  connection  with  the  establish 
ment  of  fish -houses  on  shore,  led  to  the  settlement  of  Canada,  Nova 
Scotia,  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  and  Massachusetts  in  part,  and  the  plant 
ing  of  two  races,  two  languages,  two  religions  in  the  northern  section  of 
this  Western  world. 

When  the  crusaders  marched  to  the  Holy  Land  to  rescue  Jerusalem, 
and  the  holy  sepulchres  from  the  Saracens,  they  wore  caps  made  from 


40  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

cat-skins.  The  French  word  for  cat  is  chat,  and  for  skins  peau,  and  so 
they  called  a  cap  a  chapeau.  Somewhere  in  the  East  they  learned  the 
art  of  making  felt. 

When  the  fishermen  of  Brittany  built  their  huts  upon  the  shores  of 
Newfoundland  and  Cape  Breton,  they  saw  the  beavers  constructing  their 
dams  along  the  streams,  felling  trees,  gnawing  them  into  logs,  floating  the 
timber  in  the  current,  placing  the  logs  in  proper  position,  piling  stones 
upon  them,  interweaving  them  with  sticks,  stopping  the  crevices  with 
grass,  plastering  the  structure  with  mud,  curving  the  dam  against  the  cur 
rent  to  give  it  strength,  and  building  their  mud-houses  in  the  ponds  of 
still  water  thus  created. 


FISH-HOUSE    AND    BOATS. 


Quite  likely  the  hatters  of  France  had  already  discovered  that  furs 
could  be  felted ;  but  when  the  fishermen  of  Brittany  carried  home  some 
skins  of  the  beaver,  they  saw  that  hats  manufactured  from  its  fur  would 
be  far  more  beautiful  than  those  felted  from  wool :  there  was  soon  a  great 
demand  for  them  ;  and  not  only  the  beaver,  but  other  furs — the  sable,  fox, 
and  marten — were  wanted.  To  supply  the  ever-increasing  demand,  com 
panies  were  organized  in  France,  England,  and  Holland,  with  charters  to 
carry  on  the  fur  trade ;  with  power  to  hold  lands,  make  settlements,  and 
establish  governments. 

This  desire  to  obtain  furs  became  a  mighty  force.     Emigrants  bade 


THE    BEAVER    AND    ITS    HOME. 


FORCES  OF  CIVILIZATION. 


4:3 


THE    TKAPPEK. 


farewell  to  friends,  home,  and  the 
dear  old  things  of  the  past,  crossed 
the  ocean,  and  reared  their  log-huts 
in  the  forest. 

The  demand  for  furs  gave  a 
new  stimulus  to  the  Indian  tribes 
on  the  northern  half  of  the  conti 
nent.  The  knives,  tinkling  bells, 
and  shining  bits  of  tin,  the  glass 
beads,  gunpowder,  and  rum,  which 

the  white  men  gave  in  exchange  for  furs,  awakened  desires  all  unknown 
before. 

Canada  was  settled  by  emigrants  from  France,  through  this  demand 
for  furs,  planting  on  the  St.  Lawrence  the  religion  of  Rome  and  the 
ideas  of  the  Feudal  age,  that  allowed  the  people  no  rights,  nor  any  voice 
in  government.  The  same  desire  to  obtain  furs  led  the  Dutch  to  New 
York,  to  lay  the  foundations  of  a  State  and  of  a  city  which  time  has  made 
the  metropolis  of  the  Western  World. 

Among  the  plants  which  Christopher  Columbus  beheld  on  the  morn 
ing  of  October  12th,  1492,  was  one  with  broad,  green  lanceolate  leaves, 
and  rose-colored  flowers,  native  not  only  to  San  Salvador  and  the  West 
Indies,  but  growing  in  luxuriance  in  the  soil  of  Virginia.  Columbus  saw 
the  Indians  roll  up  a  dry  leaf  of  the  plant,  light  one  end,  and  inhale  the 
smoke  at  the  other.  They  called  it  tobacco,  and  used  it  not  only  for 
pleasure,  but  believed  that  the  odor  was  a  fragrance  that  gave  delight  to 
the  Great  Spirit.  Whenever  they  made  a  treaty,  or  transacted  important 
business  affecting  them  as  a  tribe,  they  smoked  a  pipe,  making  the  act  an 
oath  of  confirmation. 


44  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

The  Spaniards  learned  to  smoke,  and  the  French,  who  visited  the 
North  American  shores,  acquired  the  habit.  Jules  Nicot  carried  some 
ot  the  dried  leaves  to  France,  and  the  plant  became  known  to  botanists 
as  Nicot's  plant,  or  Nicotiana  tabacum.  Its  introduction  to  France  was 
about  the  year  1560,  and  it  was  soon  in  great  demand.  People  not  only 
smoked  it  but  chewed  it,  and  ground  it  into  dust  and  snuffed  it. 


AFTER   A   MOOSE. 


Ralph  Lane  carried  some  tobacco  to  London,  in  1586,  where  it  was 
used  first  as  a  medicine,  but  soon  became  a  luxury,  and  was  made  fash 
ionable  by  Sir  Walter  Kaleigh.  He  and  his  friends  often  met  at  the 
Pied  Bull  tavern  to  smoke  their  pipes.  King  James  I.  hated  tobacco,  and 
wrote  a  book  against  its  use.  Pope  Urban  VIII.  and  Innocent  XL  issued 


FORCES  OF  CIVILIZATION. 


bulls  against  smoking.  The  priests  of  the  Mohammedan  religion  cried 
out  against  it,  and  the  sultan,  Amuret  IV.,  cut  off  the  noses  of  those  who 
used  it.  Yain  the  prohibition  !  The  love  for  tobacco  increased.  All  na 
tions  acquired  the  habit  of  smoking.  The  first  settlers  of  Virginia  grew 
rich  through  the  cultivation  of  the 
plant.  It  became  their  exclusive 
occupation.  The  colony  was  found 
ed  upon  it.  Laws,  customs,  habits, 
social  relations,  the  progress  of  the 
state,  all  were  affected  by  it.  To 
bacco  became  the  currency  of  the 
colony ;  all  values  were  reckoned 
by  it.  Far-reaching  has  been  its 
influence. 

Through  all  past  ages  the  strong 
have  enslaved  the  weak.  Prisoners 
taken  in  war  were  held  as  slaves. 
Barbaric  people  were  reduced  to 
bondage  by  those  more  civilized. 

When  Christopher  Columbus 
landed  on  San  Salvador  and  Cuba 
he  was  kindly  treated  by  the  In 
dians  ;  but  the  men  of  Spain  were 
cruel  and  enslaved  them,  compel 
ling  them  to  work  in  mines  and  in 
the  cultivation  of  the  sugar-cane.  They  gave  them  hard  tasks,  with  little  to 
eat ;  cut  off  their  ears,  noses,  hands  and  feet  upon  the  slightest  provocation. 
Under  such  cruel  treatment  the  Indians  died  in  great  numbers,  and,  to 
supply  their  places,  expeditions  were  made  to  Mexico  and  South  America. 
Vasquez  D'Allyon  visited  South  Carolina  in  1520  to  obtain  slaves,  en- 
ticing  the  confiding  Indians  on  board  his  ship,  and  carrying  them  to  Cuba. 
The  Indians  were  feeble,  but  the  negroes  of  Africa  were  strong ;  and 
Bishop  Las  Casas,  of  Chiopia,  in  Mexico,  who  was  a  friend  to  the  Indians, 
petitioned  the  emperor,  Charles  V.,  to  permit  the  enslavement  of  negroes 
in  Africa,  instead  of  allowing  the  slavers  to  rob  him  of  his  flock.  The 
emperor  gave  his  consent,  and  the  enslavement  of  negroes  began. 

Captain  John  Hawkins,  of  England,  visited  the  West  Indies,  and  the 
thought  came  to  him  that  he  might  make  it  profitable  to  bring  skvea 
from  Africa.  He  returned  to  England,  laid  his  plan  before  Sir  Lionel 
Duchet,  Sir  Thomas  Dodge,  Mr.  Gunnison,  Mr.  Winter,  Mr.  Brom^eld, 


TOBACCO. 


46  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

and  other  gentlemen,  who  joined  in  fitting  out  the  ships  Solomon,  Swal 
low,  and  Jonas.  Sir  John  sailed  in  December,  1562,  to  Teueriffe,  and 
from  there  to  Sierra  Leone,  in  Africa,  where  three  hundred  negroes  were 
captured  or  purchased  from  the  chiefs,  taken  to  Cuba  and  sold.  Captain 
Hawkins  returned  to  England  with  a  great  quantity  of  gold,  besides  a 
cargo  of  hides,  sugar,  and  ginger.  It  was  so  profitable  a  trade  that  the 
following  year  he  sailed  with  four  ships,  and  captured  five  hundred  ne 
groes.  It  is  not  probable  that  .Captain  Hawkins  or  any  one  else  con 
nected  with  the  enterprise  thought  for  a  moment  that  it  was  wrong. 


THE    SLAVE-SHIP. 


They  believed  that  they  were  God's  elect  servants.     The  ships  were  be- 

m  mid -ocean,  and  their  water  was  running  low;   but  Hawkins 

trusted  m  God  to  bring  him  and  his  cargo  safe  to  Cuba.     He  wrote  this 


FORCES  OF  CIVILIZATION.  49 

in  his  journal :  "  For  the  space  of  eighteen  days  we  were  becalmed,  which 
put  us  in  such  fear  that  many  of  our  men  despaired  of  reaching  the  In* 
dies,  but  the  Almighty  God,  who  never  suffers  his  elect  to  perish,  sent  us, 
on  the  16th  of  February,  the  ordinary  breeze,  which  never  left  us  until 
we  came  to  the  Islands  of  Cannibals,  called  Dominica." 

In  1619  a  Dutch  vessel  sailed  up  the  James  Eiver  with  negroes  stolen 
from  Africa.  They  were  sold  to  the  settlers  of  Virginia,  who  were  gath 
ering  rich  harvests  of  tobacco.  Little  did  the  captain  of  that  ship  think 
what  would  be  the  outcome  of  that  cargo  of  slaves — the  misery,  suffering, 
anguish,  woe,  and  horrors ;  the  death  of  myriads  of  human  beings  in  the 
terrible  passage  across  the  sea,  crowded  into  hot  and  stifling  holds,  pant 
ing  for  breath,  dying  of  fever,  thirst,  hunger,  confinement,  homesickness ; 
and  when  the  terrific  typhoons  came  on,  to  lighten  the  ship,  the  living 
and  dead  cast  overboard  to  a  multitude  of  ravenous  sharks,  ever  following 
in  the  wake  of  the  vessel,  looking  upward  with  hungry  eyes  for  their  ex 
pected  prey ! 

The  great  artist,  Turner,  has  pictured  the  horrible  scene : 

"Aloft,  all  hands!     Strike  the  top-masts  and  belay! 
Yon  angry  setting  sun  and  fierce-edged  clouds 
Declare  the  Typhoon's  coming. 
Before  it  sweeps  your  decks,  throw  overboard 
The  dead  and  dying.     Ne'er  heed  their  chains. 
Hope !  hope !  fallacious  hope  ! 
Where  is  thy  market  now  ?" 

Little  did  Sir  John  Hawkins,  or  anybody  else  have  any  conception 
of  what  would  one  day  be  written  upon  the  historic  page  of  our  country 
— the  desolation  of  a  great  civil  war,  death  upon  the  battle-field  and  in 
prison  of  half  a  million  of  men !  We,  even,  do  not  comprehend  what  is 
to  be  the  ultimate  result  of  that  sale  of  sixteen  slaves.  What  part  are 
the  four  millions  of  the  African  race  to  take  in  the  future  of  our  coun 
try  ?  What  will  they  yet  do  for  Africa  ?  Who  knows  but  that  they  will 
be  the  means  of  carrying  a  Christian  civilization  arid  Republican  institu* 
tions  to  the  continent  where  they  had  their  origin  ? 

In  the  "  Story  of  Liberty "  is  an  account  of  Ignatius  Loyola,  who 
founded  the  society  of  the  Jesuits.  He  inspired  others  with  his  own 
lofty  zeal.  The  members  of  the  society  went  forth  to  convert  the  world, 
to  thread  the  jungles  of  India,  traverse  the  deserts  of  Africa  and  the 
steppes  of  Asia ;  uphold  the  Cross  on  the  banks  of  the  Amazon,  and  plant 
it  upon  the  peaks  of  the  Andes ;  to  rear  churches  amidst  the  fertile  vales 
of  Mexico ;  make  their  home  in  a  palace  or  the  hut  of  a  savage ;  brave 


50 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


every  danger,  suffer  every  hardship;  endure  every  privation;  to  die  of 
hunger,  thirst,  cold  or  heat,  disease  or  violence ;  to  labor  without  reward, 
except  that  which  the  Virgin  Mary  would  extend  to  them,  through  their 
sacrifices  to  save  souls  from  the  clutches  of  the  devil.  They  were  to  per 
suade  men  where  persuasion  was  available ;  employ  force  where  force  was 
possible.  It  was  their  province  to  spy  out  the  actions  of  men — meddle 
in  all  their  affairs;  fathom  the  secrets  of  human  hearts;  interfere  in 
households,  in  cabinets,  in  halls  of  justice  and  legislation ;  set  father 
against  son,  and  son  against  father ;  stir  up  strife  between  husband  and 
wife,  mother  and  daughter.  All  earthly  relations,  all  human  considera 
tions,  all  the  ties  which  men  deem  sacred,  were  subordinated  to  the  idea 
that  baptism  into  the  Church  was  of  more  value  than  anything  else ;  that 
they  were  commanded  by  the  Virgin  to  rescue  men  from  perdition. 

To  bring  about  that  end  any  means  were  justifiable.     Each  member 


THE    TOMAHAWK    AND    SCALP1NG-KNIFE    DOING   BLOODY   WORK. 


was  to  watch  every  other  member;  report  their  faithfulness  or  unfaith 
fulness.  They  had  one  watchword— «  Obedience."  With  a  zeal  such  as 
the  world  had  never  before  witnessed,  the  Jesuits  went  forth  upon  their 
missions.  Their  history  is  interwoven  with  that  of  every  nation— a  rec- 


FORCES  OF  CIVILIZATION.  51 

ord  of  self-denial,  hardship,  suffering,  martyrdom  ;  of  burning  zeal,  fiery 
energy,  tireless  activity,  unquenchable  ardor ;  of  religious  devotions,  world 
ly  wisdom,  benevolence,  and  charity  ;  deceit,  falsehood,  hypocrisy,  cruelty, 
and  despotism.  If  they  have  been  charitable  and  kind,  they  have  also 
blackened  history  by  the  darkest  of  crimes.  If  they  have  lifted  men  to 
higher  and  nobler  lives,  they  have  also  sent  myriads  to  prison,  and  burnt 
hundreds  of  thousands  at  the  stake.  Time  has  not  quenched  their  zeal ; 
and  though  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  have  passed  since  their  organi 
zation,  they  are  still  making  their  power  felt  in  every  country,  controlling 
the  consciences  and  actions  of  men. 

The  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife,  at  the  bidding  of  the  Jesuits,  will 
do  bloody  work  from  the  Penobscot  to  the  Ohio,  and  the  lurid  light  of 
burning  dwellings  will  illumine  the  midnight  sky.  Men,  women,  and 
children  will  pass  through  the  gloomy  wilderness,  from  their  ruined  homes 
on  the  banks  of  the  Merrimac  and  Connecticut  to  Quebec  and  Mon 
treal,  to  be  sold  into  slavery.  The  old  and  young,  the  strong  and  weak, 
will  redden  the  snows  of  winter  with  their  blood.  It  was  the  disappoint 
ment  of  Ignatius  Loyola  in  love,  and  the  firing  of  a  cannon  at  Pampeluna 
that  started  this  crimson  stream. 

In  the  "  Story  of  Liberty  "  is  a  chapter  about  the  man  who  split  the 
Church  in  twain — Henry  VIII. — who,  through  his  love  for  Anne  Boleyn, 
defied  the  Pope,  and  set  up  a  church  of  his  own,  himself  the  head :  it 
was  in  1539.  His  daughter,  Mary  Tudor,  did  what  she  could  to  restore 
things  as  they  had  been  before  Henry  established  the  Church  of  England; 
she  burnt  so  many  men  and  women  who  refused  to  accept  the  Pope  as 
head  of  the  Church,  that  she  was  called  "  Bloody  Mary."  Her  half-sister, 
Elizabeth,  when  she  carne  to  the  throne,  re-established  the  Church  which 
her  father  had  founded,  making  herself  the  head.  James  I.,  who  suc 
ceeded  Elizabeth,  endeavored  to  make  everybody  conform  to  the  ritual 
which  the  bishop  had  written  out.  Those  who  refused  to  do  this  were 
called  Non-conformists.  In  the  "  Story  of  Liberty"  is  an  account  of  the 
persecutions  endured  by  the  people  of  Scrooby  and  Austerfield,  because 
they  held  meetings  of  their  own  on  Sunday  in  an  old  manor-house,  listen 
ing  to  the  preaching  of  John  Robinson ;  how  they  fled  to  Holland,  and 
finally  sailed  to  America  in  the  Mayflower. 

Some  of  the  ministers  of  the  Church  of  England  did  not  like  to  make 
the  sign  of  the  cross  when  they  baptized  a  child,  and  there  were  other 
things  distasteful  to  them  in  the  ritual  which  the  bishop  had  established. 
They  desired  a  purer  form  of  worship,  and  so  were  called  Puritans  by 
those  who  ridiculed  them.  They  were  not  Separatists,  like  those  plaiu 


52 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


farmers  of  Scrooby  and  Austerfield,  but  remained  in  the  Church.  When 
James  came  to  the  throne,  several  hundred  Puritans  requested  a  change 
in  the  ritual.  He  answered  them  rudely  : 

"  I  will  have,"  he  said,  "  one  doctrine,  one  discipline,  one  religion ;  I 
alone  will  decide ;  I  will  make  you  conform,  or  I  will  harry  you  out  of  the 
land,  or  else  do  worse — hang  you." 

Convictions  of  what  is  right  and  true  are  forces  for  good  which  op 
pression  and  tyranny  never  can  suppress.  Obedience  to  such  convictions 
led  the  men  and  women  of  Scrooby  to  flee  from  their  pleasant  homes  to 
Holland,  and  from  thence  to  America,  to  find  peace  and  quiet  in  the  soli 
tude  of  the  wilderness.  Conviction  of  what  was  right  and  true  also  led 
the  Puritans — some  of  whom  lived  in  fine  houses,  with  spacious  halls, 


DINING-ROOM    IN    A    PURITAN    MANOR-HOUSE. 

where  they  entertained  their  friends  in  princely  style — to  turn  their  backs 
upon  all  the  comforts  and  refinements  of  life  to  which  they  had  been  ac 
customed,  and  make  their  humble  homes  in  the  wilderness,  laying  the 
foundations  of  a  State  which,  though  small  in  area,  has  wielded  a  wonder 
ful  influence  on  the  history  of  our  country. 

In  obedience  to  this  conviction,  George  Fox  preached  in  the  fields,  the 
streets,  entered  churches  unbidden,  wearing  his  hat,  and  dressed  in  sheep 
skin  clothes.  He  preached  that  men  should  always  be  guided  by  the 


FORCES  OF  CIVILIZATION.  53 

" inner  light"  which  God  would  reveal  to  every  honest  heart.  The  jus 
tices  sent  him  to  prison  as  a  fanatic  and  disturber  of  the  peace ;  but  as 
soon  as  he  was  out  he  resumed  his  preaching,  making  many  converts  to 
his  ideas. 

On  other  pages  of  this  volume  we  shall  read  of  the  persecutions,  suf 
ferings,  and  obloquy  endured  by  the  Quakers ;  of  their  fanaticism  and 
mistakes,  and  also  the  founding  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  by  the  fol 
lower  of  George  Fox. 

How  strange  that  the  firing  of  a  gun  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Champlain 
should  set  in  motion  a  train  of  events  which  have  had  a  mighty  influence 
upon  the  destiny  of  our  country !  In  another  chapter  we  shall  accom 
pany  a  hardy  pioneer  from  France  (Samuel  Champlain)  along  the  shore 
of  the  lake  that  bears  his  name.  He  will  fire  a  gun  whose  echoes  have 
not  yet  ceased  to  reverberate  through  the  wilderness.  Insignificant  the 
event ;  but  it  will  set  the  Mohawks,  Onondagas,  Senecas,  Canandaiguas, 
and  Cayugas — the  five  tribes  composing  the  Iroquois  Nation — forever 
against  the  French.  They  will  make  their  power  felt  in  the  great  strug 
gle  between  France  and  England  for  supremacy  in  America. 

Such  are  some  of  the  forces  that  gave  direction  to  the  early  history  of 
our  country.  It  is  a  history  not  designed  by  man ;  for  the  men  of  one 
generation  cannot  lay  a  plan  for  the  generation  that  succeeds  it.  Every 
person  exercises  his  own  individual  will ;  and  it  is  only  a  Divine  hand  that 
out  of  the  greed,  selfishness,  avarice,  ambition,  and  passions  of  the  multi 
tude — out  of  their  blunders,  mistakes,  and  crimes — out  of  all  the  turmoils 
and  conflicts  of  centuries — can  mould  a  great  Republic  in  which  law,  or 
der,  liberty,  and  an  exalted  sense  of  justice  and  right  shall  be  supreme. 


54 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


CHAPTEK  III. 

FIRST   SETTLEMENTS. 


THE  century  of  discovery  closed,  and  the  period  of  settlement  began. 
Elizabeth  was  Queen  of  England,  Henry  IY.  King  of  France,  and 
Philip  II.  of  Spain.     A  great  fleet  of  vessels  crossed  the  ocean  every  year 
from  England  and  Brittany  to  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland  to  obtain  fish. 
The  hardy  sailors  moored  their  little  craft  upon  the  banks,  rode  out  fear- 


RIOINO   OUT   A    GALE    ON    THE    BANKS. 


ful  gales,  or,  when  the  storms  came  on,  hoisted  sail  and  ran  to  the  harbor 
of  Newfoundland  for  shelter.  Some  of  the  fishermen  passed  through  the 
Straits  of  Canso  into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  Others  coasted  along 
Nova  Scotia,  and  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Maine — the  sailors  open 
ing  trade  with  the  Indians,  purchasing  a  large  pile  of  beaver  skins  with  a 


FIRST   SETTLEMENTS. 


55 


few  knives,  fish-hooks,  or  bits  of  tin  ;  carrying  the  furs  to  France,  and  sell 
ing  them  to  the  hatters,  making  quite  as  much  money  on  their  furs  as  on 
their  fish. 

A  gentleman  of  Brittany,  the  Marquis  de  la  Koche,  resolved  to  capture 
and  keep  to  himself  a  goose  that  would  lay  no  end  of  golden  eggs,  by  ob 
taining  from  the  king  the  exclusive  privilege  of  trading  with  the  Indians. 
The  King  of  France  had  no  claim  to  America,  except  through  the  discov 
eries  made  by  John  Verrazani  and  Jacques  Cartier ;  but  he  granted  De  la 
Roche's  request,  and  made  him  Governor  of  Canada,  Newfoundland,  and 


RUNNING    FOR    SHELTER. 


Labrador — a  vast  undefined  territory — with  power  to  raise  troops,  declare 
war,  build  cities  and  forts ;  to  give  away  the  land  to  whomsoever  he 
pleased.  The  marquis  tried  to  induce  the  people  of  Brittany  to  emigrate 
to  Canada,  but  they  preferred  to  remain  at  home  and  enjoy  the  comforts 
of  life  in  their  native  villages.  Not  being  able  to  get  any  settlers,  De  la 
Roche  obtained  leave  to  ship  criminals  from  the  prisons,  and  set  sail  with 
forty  thieves  and  murderers.  It  was  not  a  promising  beginning,  for  the 
villains  pummelled  and  pounded  one  another  fearfully  on  the  voyage. 
One  morning  they  beheld  the  long  yellow  beaches  of  Sable  Island,  off 


5(5  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

the  shore  of  Maine.  As  De  la  Roche  had  not  decided  where  to  make  a 
settlement,  he  landed  the  criminals,  and  sailed  away  to  explore  the  coast ; 
but  a  storm  came  on,  and  the  north-west  winds  blew  so  furiously  that  he 


STRAIT    OF    CANSO. 


was  swept  nearly  across  the  Atlantic,  and  found  himself  so  near  home  that 
he  returned  to  St.  Malo. 

Forty  thieves,  with  no  one  to  govern  them,  no  law — no  authority — 
what  will  they  do  ?  what  will  become  of  them  ? 

A  vessel  had  been  wrecked  on  the  island  years  before,  and  the  hulk 
lay  half  buried  on  the  beach  ;  from  its  planks  they  built  some  huts.  Herds 
of  wild  horses  cropped  the  stunted  grass  in  the  meadows,  and  the  sea  was 
alive  with  iish,  so  that  they  would  not  lack  food.  There  were  trouble 
some  times  in  France,  and  De  la  Roche  could  not  visit  them.  Five  years 
went  by,  when  a  vessel  approached  the  island  and  sent  a  boat  on  shore. 
Twelve  men,  wearing  clothes  made  from  the  skins  of  foxes,  were  all  that 
remained :  the  others  had  been  killed,  or  had  died  from  exposure  or  home 
sickness.  The  weak  had  gone  down  before  the  strong ;  might  had  made 
right.  So  ended  the  first  attempt  of  the  French  to  make  a  settlement  in 
America. 

The  merchants  of  Bristol,  England,  began  to  turn  their  eyes  to  the 
New  World,  and  sent  Bartholomew  Gosnold  on  a  voyage  of  discovery. 
He  sailed  in  1602,  in  the  ship  Concord,  descrying  first  the  white  gran 
ite  ledges  of  Cape  Ann.  Turning  southward,  he  discovered  a  sandy 
promontory,  which  he  named  Cape  Cod.  He  dropped  anchor  in  the  har 
bor  of  Provincetown,  caught  many  fish,  sailed  south  once  more  around 
the  cape  to  the  islands  of  Nantucket  and  Martha's  Yineyard,  entered 
Buzzard's  Bay,  and  landed  on  an  island  which  the  Indians  called  Cutty- 
hunk.  He  was  charmed  with  the  country,  the  tall  forest-trees,  the  grape 
vines  which  grew  along  the  shore ;  built  a  fort,  intending  to  leave  six 


FIRST   SETTLEMENTS. 


57 


men,  but  was  so  short  of  provisions  that  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  the 
project.  He  loaded  his  ship  with  sassafras,  which  was  greatly  esteemed 
in  London,  the  doctors  using  it  as  a  medicine,  and  hastened  away,  having 
only  a  single  biscuit  left  when  he  reached  England. 

The  next  year  the  Bristol  merchants  sent  Martin  Pring  to  see  what 
he  could  discover.  He  sailed  along  the  coast  of  Maine,  entered  Casco 
Bay,  Kennebunk  Harbor,  the  Saco,  and  Piscataqua.  It  was  midsummer, 
and  the  fields  on  the  west  shore  of  the  Piscataqua  were  so  red  with  straw 
berries  that  he  named  it  Strawberry  Bank.  The  quaint  old  town  of 
Portsmouth  now  covers  the  ground  where  the  sailors  feasted  themselves 
upon  red,  ripe  berries. 

Captain  Pring  was  so  enthusiastic  over  what  he  had  seen,  upon  his 
return  to  England,  that  Richard  Hakluyt,  one  of  the  ministers  of  Bristol, 


CAPE   ANN. 


became  greatly  interested,  and  wrote  letters  to  influential  friends  —  Sir 
George  Somers,  Edward  Wingfield,  and  others  in  London — telling  them 
that  it  was  the  duty  of  Englishmen  to  do  something  to  checkmate  Spain, 
who  had  already  obtained  possession  of  Mexico,  South  America,  and  Flor 
ida,  and  who  was  in  a  fair  way  to  control  the  whole  Western  World. 


53 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


While  Richard  Hakluyt  was  thus  endeavoring  to  awaken  an  interest 
among  his  friends,  there  was  a  gentleman  in  France,  Pierre  de  Guast, 
who  saw  that  it  was  time  for  France  to  be  getting  a  foothold  in  America. 
Henry  IY.  bestowed  the  title  of  Sieur  de  Monts  upon  De  Guast,  and  gave 


PORTSMOUTH,  NEW    HAMPSHIRE. 

him  the  territory  now  comprised  in  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  to 
which  was  given  the  name  of  Acadia.  He  gave  to  De  Monts,  Baron  Pon- 
trincourt,  and  Samuel  Champlain,  as  he  had  once  given  to  De  la  Roche, 
the  sole  privilege  of  trading  with  the  Indians.  They  were  to  build  up 
the  empire  of  New  France  in  the  New  World. 

It  was  a  strange  company  that  sailed  from  Havre  de  Grace,  April  7th, 
1604.  There  were  De  Monts,  Pontrincourt,  Pontgrave,  Champlain,  sev 
eral  Jesuit  priests  and  Huguenot  ministers,  and  a  crowd  of  thieves  and 
vagabonds  which  De  Monts  had  taken  from  the  prisons.  The  Jesuits  and 
Huguenots  were  almost  at  swords'  points ;  and  when  they  could  not  con 
vince  one  another  by  argument,  fell  to  with  their  fists,  while  the  thieves 
blackened  each  other's  eyes  in  their  frequent  quarrels.  They  sailed  into 
the  Bay  of  Fundy,  laid  out  a  town  on  the  sandy  island  of  St.  Croix,  built 
a  great  house  for  the  noblemen,  and  smaller  houses  for  the  others ;  and 
then  the  vessels  returned  to  France,  leaving  De  Monts,  Champlain,  and 
seventy  men. 

What  a  dreary  winter  it  was !     The  snows  whirled  around  the  Houses, 


FIRST   SETTLEMENTS. 


59 


and  the  nights  were  so  cold  that  the  wine  which  De  Monts  had  brought 
from  France  was  frozen  in  the  casks.  Disease  thinned  their  ranks.  Be 
fore  spring  one-half  died. 

In  the  spring  a  vessel  came  from  France  with  forty  men,  whom  De 
Monts  had  hired.    He  saw  that  the  soil  of  the  island  was  poor,  and  sailed  in 
search  of  a  better  place — visiting  the  Kennebec,  Saco,  and  Piscataqua  nv- 
ers  and  the  Isles  of  Shoals, 
discovering  the  Merriinac 
River,  which    he    named 
for  himself,  La  Riviere  de 
Guast.      He   called  Cape 
Ann  Cape  St.  Louis,  and 
Cape    Cod  Cape  Blanco. 
He  landed  at  Nausett ;  and 
while  the  sailors  were  ob 
taining  fresh  water  an  In 
dian  darted  from  behind 
a  tree  and  seized  a  kettle. 

A  crowd  of  Indians 
were  upon  them,  letting 
fly  their  arrows ;  but 
Cham  plain  fired  a  gun, 
which  so  frightened  them 
that  they  fled. 

De  Monts  returned  to 
his  settlement,  sailed  east 
ward,  and  selected  a  beau 
tiful  site  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  Bay  of  Fun- 
dy,  and  laid  out  a  town 
which  he  named  Port  Roy 
al,  putting  up  a  spacious 
house,  containing  a  great 
hall  with  a  wide-mouthed 

fireplace,  a  row  of  smaller  buildings,  and  a  church.  So  France  obtained 
her  first  foothold  in  the  Western  World. 

Gold !  gold !  The  ships  of  Spain  were  bringing  it  by  the  cart-load 
from  Mexico  and  South  America.  For  more  than  a  century  rich  cargoes 
had  been  gathered  in  by  the  rapacious  gold-hunters  of  Castile,  Arragon, 
and  Andalusia.  The  people  of  England  began  to  have  the  gold  hunger, 


DE   MONTS. 


60 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


and  fondly  imagined  that  gold  could  be  found  almost  anywhere  in  Ame* 
ica.     Poets  pictured  the  attractions  of  the  New  World  in  glowing  Ian- 


CAPE  COD. 


guage.     In  one  of  the  plays,  Captain  Seagull  narrated  to  a  fellow  named 
Spendthrift  wonderful  accounts  of  the  country  beyond  the  sea: 
Spendthrift.  "  Is  there  such  treasure  there  as  I  have  heard  2" 
Seagull.  "  I  tell  thee,  gold  is  more  plentiful  there  than  copper  is  with 
us.     For  as  much  copper  as  I  can  carry,  I'll  have  thrice  weight  in  gold. 
Why,  man,  all  their  pots  and  pans  are  of  purest  gold ;  all  their  prisoners 
are  fettered  in  gold ;  and  as  for  rubies  and  diamonds,  they  go  forth  and 
gather  them  by  the  sea-shore  to  hang  on  their  children's  coats  and  stick 
in  their  children's  caps." 


FIRST   SETTLEMENTS. 


61 


Spendthrift.  "  Is  it  a  pleasant  country  ?" 

Seagull.  "  As  ever  the  sun  shone  on :  temperate,  and  full  of  all  sorts 
of  excellent  viands.  Wild-boar  is  as  common  there  as  bacon  is  here,  and 
venison  as  mutton.  You  may  be  an  alderman  there,  and  not  a  laborer ; 
an  officer,  and  not  a  slave." 

Night  after  night  crowds  flocked  to  the  theatres  to  see  the  play,  and 
have  their  imaginations  fired  by  the  exhibition  of  pieces  of  gold  supposed 
to  have  been  brought  from  America. 

Queen  Elizabeth  was  dead,  and  James  was  on  the  throne,  and  the 
merchants  of  London  and  Plymouth  petitioned  him  for  a  grant  of  land 
in  America :  he  complied  with  their  request,  and  gave  the  London  mer 
chants  the  country  between  Long  Island  and  Cape  Fear;  and  to  the 
Plymouth  merchants  the  country  between  Long  Island  and  Nova  Scotia. 

The  Plymouth  men  sent  out  Captain  Weymouth  to  explore  the  coast. 
He  reached  Cape  Cod  on  May  13th,  1605,  then  sailed  north  and  landed  on 
the  island  of  Monhegan.  He  entered  a  harbor  on  the  coast  of  Maine  on 


r 


MONHEGAN. 


Pentecost  Sunday,  and  named  it  Pentecost.  He  landed  the  next  day, 
and  the  sailors  dug  up  a  patch  of  ground  and  sowed  some  garden-seeds — 
the  first  sown  by  the  hands  of  Englishmen  in  the  Western  World. 

Captain  Weymouth  sailed  up  the  Kennebec  River,  entered  Booth 
Bay,  and  landed  at  Pemmaquid.  The  Indians  flocked  around  his  ship  in 
their  bark  canoes.  He  enticed  them  on  board,  treacherously  seized  five, 
and  sailed  away  to  England. 

What  an  excitement  there  was  in  the  old  town  of  Plymouth  when 
the  ship  Archangel,  with  five  Indians  on  board,  dropped  anchor  in  the 
harbor!  All  the  town  came  to  see  Squanto  and  his  red-skinned  fellow- 
savages.  Sir  Fernando  Gorges,  the  governor,  became  greatly  interested 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


PEMMAQUID. 


in  them.     Wherever  they  went  great  crowds  flocked  to  see  them,  which 
set  everybody  to  talking  and  thinking  about  America. 

Sieur  de  Monts,  the  while,  was  spending  his  money  freely  in  buying 
provisions  and  supplies  for  his  colony  on  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  treating  the 
Indians  kindly,  feasting  their  old  chief,  Membertu,  at  his  own  table,  and 
tossing  strips  of  bear-meat  to  the  dusky  warriors  who  squatted  on  the 
floor  of  the  great  hall.  The  savages  grunted  their  satisfaction,  and  look 
ed  up  with  longing  eyes  for  more ;  it  was  better  than  tramping  through 
the  forest  all  day  in  pursuit  of  game— they  would  always  be  friends  of 
the  French. 

A  vessel  sailed  into  the  harbor,  bringing  a  letter  for  Sieur  de  Monts : 

"  Your  enemies  have  persuaded 
the  king  to  deprive  you  of  the 
sole  privilege  of  trading  with  the 
Indians,"  was  the  message. 

Everything  was  abandoned — 
houses,  furniture,  all  —  and  with 
a  sad  heart  Sieur  de  Monts  sailed 
away;  so  the  second  attempt  of 
France  to  get  a  foothold  in  Can 
ada  ended  in  failure. 

The  vessel  which  carried  the 
disappointed  Frenchmen  back  to 
France  almost  came  in  contact, 
in  mid -ocean,  with  three  ships 
from  London,  which  were  bear 
ing  to  Virginia  the  men  who 
were  to  make  the  first  perma 
nent  English  settlement  in  America  at  Jamestown. 


CAPTAIN    JOHN    SMITH. 


FIRST   SETTLEMENTS.  63 

'In  April,  1607,  Captain  Newport,  Bartholomew  Gosnold,  Captam 
John  Smith,  and  a  party  of  colonists  sailed  into  the  peaceful  waters  of 
Chesapeake  Bay,  dropping  anchor  off  a  point  of  land  where  everything 
around  was  so  pleasant :  after  tossing  so  many  weeks  on  ship-board,  they 
named  it  Point  Comfort.  The  vessels  sailed  up  a  noble  river,  which 
Captain  Newport  named  the  James,  in  honor  of  the  king.  He  made  a 
settlement  on  an  island,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Jamestown. 

The  expedition  had  been  fitted  out  by  the  London  Company  of  mer- 


ARKIVAL    AT    JAMESTOWN. 


chants.  The  colonists  consisted  of  four  carpenters,  a  few  laborers,  and 
forty-eight  "gentlemen,"  sons  of  noblemen,  who  had  wasted  their  fort 
unes,  and  who  expected  to  find  gold  lying  in  heaps.  They  had  vague 
ideas  of  a  life  of  exciting  adventure  in  the  wilderness.  How  different 
the  reality  !  They  found  no  gold ;  the  sun  blazed  in  the  heavens  like  a 
fiery  ball,  and  they  wilted  beneath  the  heat ;  fever  set  in  ;  death  began  to 
pick  them  off;  provisions  failed;  and  had  not  Captain  Smith  obtained 
corn  from  the  Indians,  all  would  have  perished.  Instead  of  gold  and  ad 
ventures,  sickness,  death,  and  disappointment ! 

While  this  was  transpiring  in  Virginia,  William  Brewster,  William 
Bradford,  and  the  farmers  of  Scrooby  and  Austerfield,  in  obedience  to 
their  convictions  of  duty  and  obligation,  were  fleeing  from  England  to 
Holland — the  country  which  the  sturdy,  patient,  plodding  Dutchmen  had 
banked  in  from  the  sea,  pumped  dry  with  their  windmills,  and  converted 
it  into  farms  and  gardens — the  only  country  on  the  face  of  the  earth 
where  they  would  be  wholly  free  to  think  for  themselves. 


64 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

'What  land  is  this,  that  seems  to  be 
A  mingling  of  the  land  and  sea? 


HOLLAND. 

This  land  of  sluices,  dikes,  and  dunes? 

This  water-net  that  tessellates 

The  landscape?  this  unending  maze 

Of  gardens,  through  whose  latticed  gates 

The  imprisoned  pinks  and  tulips  gaze; 

Where  in  long  summer  afternoons 

The  sunshine,  softened  by  the  haze, 

Comes  streaming  down  as  through  a  screen; 

Where  over  fields  and  pastures  green 

The  painted  ships  float  high  in  air, 

And  over  all  and  everywhere 

The  sails  of  windmills  sink  and  soar 

Like  wings  of  sea-gulls  on  the  shore  ?" 

Sir  Fernando  Gorges,  Governor  of  Plymouth,  who  took  so  much  in 
terest  in  the  Indians  which  Captain  Weyrnouth  carried  to  England,  en 
listed  his  friend,  Chief-justice  Lord  John  Popham,  in  American  affairs. 
Lord  John  had  been  wild  in  his  youth,  bnt  having  an  ambition  to  get  on 
in  the  world,  became  sober-minded,  and  worked  his  way  into  Parliament, 
and  had  been  appointed  chief-justice  of  the  realm.  He  was  harsh  and 
cruel, and  sent  so  many  men  to  the  gallows,  that  people  called  him  "Hang 
man  Popham."  He  joined  Sir  Fernando  Gorges  in  fitting  out  an  expe 
dition  to  make  a  settlement  in  Maine,  but  made  a  fatal  mistake.  Think 
ing  that  anybody  would  count  one,  he  emptied  the  jails,  and  sent  a  pack 
of  criminals  to  establish  a  colony. 

To  build  a  State  we  must  have  men,  not  the  riffraff  of  society. 

The  spot  selected  for  a  settlement  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sagada- 
hock,  or  Kennebec,  River,  in  Maine.  Trees  were  cut  down,  and  houses, 
church,  and  a  log  fort  erected. 

Though  the  Indians  had  not  forgotten  the  treachery  of  Captain  Wey- 
mouth,  they  held  friendly  intercourse  with  the  new-comers,  who,  in  re- 


FIRST   SETTLEMENTS.  65 

turn,  loaded  a  cannon  to  the  muzzle  with  bullets,  and  induced  the  Indians 
to  take  hold  of  the  drag-ropes  and  help  them  draw  it.  When  all  were 
in  a  line,  one  of  Sir  John's  villains  touched  a  live  coal  to  the  priming; 
there  was  a  flash,  a  cloud,  a  roar,  and  the  ground  was  strewn  with  corpses. 
The  Indians,  indignant  at  such  treachery,  fell  upon  the  villains  with  their 
tomahawks.  The  cowards  fled  to  their  ships,  and  the  Indians  rushed  into 
the  fort.  Suddenly  there  was  an  explosion,  and  the  fort  and  the  Indians 
went  up  into  the  air.  The  savages  had  touched  off  the  magazine,  and 
blown  up  the  fort  and  themselves.  Those  who  had  been  sent  out  by  Sir 
John  to  manage  affairs,  saw  that  after  such  an  affair  it  would  be  impossi 
ble  to  establish  the  colony.  They  returned  to  England,  and  Sir  John, 
who  had  hoped  to  add  to  his  wealth,  found  himself  out  of  pocket. 

Although  the  King  of  France  had  taken  the  monopoly  of  the  fur- 
trade  away  from  Sieur  de  Monts,  that  gentleman  was  ready  for  new  en 
terprises,  and  fitted  out  two  vessels,  appointing  Samuel  Charnplain  and  a 


SAMUEL    CHAMPLAIN. 


merchant  of  St.  Malo — Pontgrave— commanders.    The  cargoes  were  trink 
ets,  knives,  blankets,,  and  other  knickknacks  for  the  Indians. 


60  OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

On  tne  5th  of  April,  1608,  Pontgrave,  Champlain,  and  the  sailors  at- 
tended  mass  in  the  old  church  of  St.  Malo,  bade  good-bye  to  their  friends, 
and  sailed  out  upon  the  ocean.  Pontgrave  entered  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence,  reached  Tadousac,  on  the  northern  shore,  where  he  found  a  party 
of  Spaniards  trading  with  the  Indians. 


TADOUSAC. 


"This  is  French  territory;  you  have  no  right  here,"  said  Pontgrave, 
running  out  his  cannon  and  opening  fire  upon  the  Spanish  vessel ;  but 
the  Spaniards  were  strongest,  and  the  French  were  getting  the  worst  of 
it,  when  Champlain  fortunately  arrived  and  conquered  the  Spaniards, 
allowing  them  to  go  home  to  Spain,  but  holding  on  to  their  furs. 

Up  the  river  St.  Lawrence  sailed  Champlain  to  the  spot  where,  in 
1535,  stood  the  Indian  town  of  Stadacone ;  but  the  wigwams  were  no 
longer  there — all  had  disappeared. 

"  It  is  a  good  place  for  a  town,"  said  Champlain,  and  set  the  men  to 
work  erecting  houses,  surrounding  them  with  a  palisade,  planting  his  can 
non,  clearing  a  bit  of  ground  for  a  garden,  and  giving  the  name  of  Que 
bec  to  the  settlement. 

It  was  the  first  permanent  planting  of  the  civilization,  language,  and 
literature  of  France  in  America. 

The  English  are  in  Virginia,  the  French  in  Canada.  Feeble  both  the 
plantings.  Which  will  have  the  most  vigorous  growth  ?  What  are  the 
forces  lying  behind  to  give  them  strength  ?  One  is  of  the  Magna  Charta— 


FIRST  SETTLEMENTS. 


67 


the  right  of  the  many ;  the  other  of  the  Feudal  ages — the  privilege  of  the 
few,  and  the  right  of  none.  In  England  the  people  are  questioning  the 
privileges  of  the  king;  in  France  the  king  is  absolute,  and  no  one  asks 
any  questions.  England  rejects  the  supreme  authority  of  the  Pope; 


France  accepts  it.  In  the  great  struggle  between  these  two  diverse  civ 
ilizations,  which  will  most  likely  go  down?  which,  for  the  well-being,  hap 
piness  and  advancement  of  the  human  race,  ought  to  go  down  ? 

Samuel  Champlain,  of  Brittany,  is  ever  looking  into  the  future  of  this 


68 


OLD  TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 


Western  World.  He  is  dreaming  of  the  time  when  there  shall  be  a  new 
empire,  under  the  dominion  of  France  and  the  sway  of  the  Pope.  He 
will  make  the  Indians  his  allies ;  will  conquer  them  by  kindly  acts,  attach 
them  forever  to  France  by  making  them  his  friends,  and  use  them  to  ob 
tain  territory  and  power.  With  the  aid  of  the  Jesuits  he  will  convert 

them  to  Christianity,  and  so 
extend  the  dominion  of  the 
Church.  During  the  winter  he 
feeds  them,  and  the  simple- 
hearted  red  men  are  ready  to 
lay  down  their  lives  for  such  a 
benefactor. 

Spring  opens.  The 
Indians  of  Canada  are 
at  war  with  the  Iro- 
quois,  and  Champlain 
resolves  to  take  part  in 
the  struggle.  They  as- 


THE    BEGINNING    OK    TRADE    ON    THE 


HUDSON. 


FIRST  SETTLEMENTS.  7J 

cend  the  St.  Lawrence,  enter  the  Kichelieu,  carry  their  canoes  past  the 
falls,  launch  them  once  more,  and  glide  along  the  peaceful  waters  of  Lake 
Charnplain.  On  the  western  shore,  as  the  sun  is  setting,  July  29th,  1609, 
the  Algonquins  discover  a  war  party  of  their  enemies.  Morning  comes, 
Champlain  loads  his  gun,  puts  on  his  breastplate  of  glittering  steel,  and 
in  his  cap  a  plume. 

The  Iroquois  have  won  many  victories  over  the  Algonquins,  and  ex 
pect  an  easy  triumph.  The  warwhoop  resounds  through  the  forest;  the 
arrows  fly.  The  Iroquois  behold  what  they  never  before  have  seen — a 
strange  being  with  the  sunlight  glistening  on  his  breast.  They  see  a 
lightning-flash,  and  hear  a  roar.  A  chief  and  a  warrior  are  weltering  in 
their  blood.  Another  flash,  more  warriors  going  down.  The  warwhoop 
changes  to  a  despairing  cry  on  the  one  side,  and  victory  on  the  other.  In 
an  instant  the  Iroquois  are  gone,  and  the  victory  is  with  the  Algonquins. 
Champlain  is  their  great  chief.  They  rend  the  air  with  shouts.  Now 
they  will  ever  be  victorious.  Champlain  rejoices  with  them.  He  has 
bound  them  to  himself  forever.  Ah !  if  he  could  but  lift  the  veil  that 
hides  the  future,  he  would  see  that  in  the  flash  of  his  gun  there  was  more 
than  the  securing  of  the  friendship  of  the  Algonquins ;  that  there  was,  in 
addition,  the  undying  hatred  of  the  Iroquois  toward  the  French ;  that  for 
a  century  and  a  half  the  Iroquois  would  never  forget  that  defeat. 

How  strangely  things  come  about !  Champlain  was  laying  founda 
tion  of  empire  in  Canada;  but  if  he  had  gone  southward  from  that  bat 
tle-field  two  days'  journey,  he  would  have  beheld  a  vessel  from  Holland — 
the  Half-Moon — commanded  by  Henry  Hudson,  through  whom  the  Dutch 
were  to  gain  a  foothold  in  America.  He  would  have  seen  the  Indians 
flocking  around  the  Half-Moon  in  their  canoes,  the  chiefs  feasting  Hud 
son  on  baked  dog,  pigeons,  pumpkins,  and  grapes,  filling  the  vessel  with 
fur  in  exchange  for  trinkets — the  opening  of  trade  on  a  river  along  whose 
peaceful  waters  the  commerce  of  an  empire  is  now  borne  to  the  sea.  It 
was  the  beginning  of  Dutch  influence  in  America,  hostile  to  France  and 
the  Pope,  antagonistic  to  the  designs  of  Champlain  and  the  Jesuits,  the 
subsequent  enlisting  of  the  Iroquois  as  their  allies,  re-enforced  by  the 
power  of  undying  hatred  of  the  French. 


72  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  WISE  FOOL  OF  ENGLAND  AND   HIS  TIMES. 

HOW  quickly  we  can  learn  to  Late !  If  anybody  wrongs  us,  we  do 
not  soon  forget  it.  How  little  do  we  understand  that  what  we 
sow  that  we  shall  also  reap!  We  know  that  if  we  sow  thistles  we 
shall  have  a  crop  of  thistles;  but  it  has  taken  the  human  race  many  hun 
dred  years  to  comprehend  that  if  they  sow  Bigotry  they  will  reap  a  har 
vest  of  the  same. 

When  "Bloody  Mary,"  as  she  was  called,  burnt  hundreds  of  men 
and  women  at  the  stake  because  they  were  Protestants,  she  did  not  stop 
to  think  of  what  might  come  of  it;  that  it  would  set  in  motion  a  train 
of  events  that  would  sweep  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  out  of  England; 
that  the  people  would  come  to  regard  the  Pope  as  the  embodiment  of  all 
wickedness. 

Queen  Mary  was  daughter  of  the  King  of  Spain,  and  that  country  was 
the  great  champion  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  The  Spaniards  were  hard 
hearted,  treacherous,  vindictive.  The  Jesuits  had  the  consciences  of  the 
Spaniards  in  keeping,  teaching  them  to  do  any  evil  that  good  might 
come.  When  Elizabeth  was  queen,  they  planned  to  have  her  assassi 
nated  ;  and  the  assassin,  Somerville,  who  was  to  commit  the  bloody  deed, 
received  the  host  at  their  hands  before  starting  for  London.  They  bar 
gained  with  one  of  Elizabeth's  servants  to  poison  her.  When  the  plots 
were  discovered,  the  people  were  so  enraged  that  the  Jesuits  were  ban 
ished  from  England.  They  conspired  with  Anthony  Babington,  and 
other  Catholics  who  were  in  Elizabeth's  household,  to  kill  her ;  when  she 
was  out  of  the  way,  they  hoped  to  put  Mary  of  Scotland  on  the  throne. 
The  people  shuddered  with  horror  when  the  plot  was  discovered,  and 
London  blazed  with  bonfires  when  the  conspirators  were  condemned  to 
death.  Spain  and  the  Jesuits  were  hated  more  than  ever.  When  Spain 
fitted  out  the  great  armada  to  invade  England,  the  spirit  of  all  the  peo 
ple  was  aroused.  Spain  conquer  England  ?  Never !  Catholics  were  as 
loyal  as  the  Protestants.  They  were  all  Englishmen.  They  were  so 


THE  WISE   FOOL   OF   ENGLAND  AND   HIS   TIMES. 


73 


loyal  that  Elizabeth  appointed  Lord  Howard,  a  Catholic,  as  one  of  her 
admirals. 

The  Armada  sailed  up  the  Channel — one  hundred  and  thirty  vessels — 
carrying  2500  cannon,  8000  sailors,  and  20,000  soldiers.  The  English  had 
only  eighty  ships;  but  Sir  Francis  Drake,  Sir  John  Hawkins,  and  Martin 
Frobisher,  who  had  sailed  amidst  the  icebergs  of  the  Northern  seas,  were 


T1IK    KOOKY    CLIFFS. 


commanders  of  Elizabeth's  squadrons.  They  sailed  boldly  out,  cutting 
off  ship  after  ship  from  the  Armada.  "We  picked  their  feathers  one  by 
one,"  said  the  seamen.  Then  came  a  great  battle.  Lord  Howard  sent 
ships  adrift  piled  with  hemp,  smeared  with  tar,  and  all  ablaze,  to  burn 
the  ships  of  the  Armada  at  anchor  on  the  coast  of  France.  A  fair  wind 
wafted  them  upon  the  Spaniards.  What  a  panic  in  the  Armada — the 
galleons  cutting  their  cables,  hoisting  sails,  steering  anywhere  to  get  away  ! 
Drake,  Hawkins,  and  Frobisher  close  in  upon  them,  with  the  wind  in 
their  favor — running  out  their  cannon,  pouring  in  broadsides.  Masts  and 
spars  go  down  with  a  crash.  The  vessels  of  the  Spaniards  are  slaughter- 
pens.  Three  great  galleons,  with  gaping  holes  in  their  sides,  where  the 
shot  had  ripped  out  the  timbers,  go  to  the  bottom  :  others  are  driven 
ashore,  and  the  waves  complete  the  work  of  destruction.  "  We  are  lost !" 
cries  the  faint-hearted,  incapable  Medina  Sidonia,  commander  of  the  Ar 
mada.  3* 


74  OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

He  calls  his  officers  together.     "  What  shall  we  do  ?" 

"  The  wind  is  south,  but  we  can  sail  around  England  and  Scotland, 
and  so  get  back  to  Spain,"  said  the  Spaniard. 

Only  fifty  vessels  ever  reached  Spain.  One  by  one  they  went  to  the 
bottom,  or  were  dashed  upon  the  ledges  of  the  Orkneys,  or  lay  their  bones 
upon  the  rocky  cliffs  of  Ireland.  Eight  thousand  Spaniards  perished  be 
tween  the  Giant's  Causeway  and  the  south  of  Ireland.  More  than  twenty 
thousand  perished  in  battle  and  by  shipwreck.  In  every  town  and  city 
of  England  bonfires  blazed.  The  bell-ringers  rung  out  their  most  joyful 
peals.  Again  the  Spaniards  and  Jesuits  had  been  foiled  in  their  plans. 

On  March  24th,  1603,  Elizabeth  died,  and  James,  son  of  Mary  of  Scot 
land,  whom  Elizabeth  had  beheaded,  came  to  the  throne.  England,  Scot 
land,  and  Sweden  were  the  only  Protestant  countries  of  Europe ;  all 
others  were  Catholic;  for  Spain  had  Holland  by  the  throat,  and  Henry 
IV.  of  France  had  abjured  the  Protestant  faith. 


LEDGE    OF    THE    ORKNEYS. 


The  Jesuits  had  not  given  up  the  hope  of  bringing  England  once 
more  under  the  authority  of  the  Pope.  James  was  a  bigot.  He  would 
have  no  religion  except  that  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  was  so  hard 


THE  WISE  FOOL  OF  ENGLAND  AND  HIS  TIMES. 


75 


upon  the  Catholics  that  he  drove  six  thousand  out  of  the  country.  The 
Jesuits  resolved  to  strike  back,  and  laid  a  plan  which  they  fondly  be 
lieved  would  make  England  a  Roman  Catholic  nation  once  more. 

Parliament  was  to  meet  November  5th,  1605.  If  James,  the  bishops, 
lords,  and  commons  could  all  be  got  rid  of  at  a  stroke,  it  would  be  easy 
for  Spain  to  take  possession  of  the  realm,  and  then  Protestantism  would 
be  crushed  forever. 

Robert  Catesby  conceived  the  plan.    The  Jesuits  fomented  it.    Priests 


THE    BELL-RINGERS    RUNG    OUT    THEIR    JOYFUL    PEALS. 

in  disguise  visited  the  Catholic  lords,  let  them  into  the  secret,  and  obtained 
their  promises  to  aid.  They  were  to  be  ready  to  strike.  Arms  were  sent 
over  from  the  Netherlands.  The  Roman  Catholic  gentlemen  were  to  meet 
the  first  week  in  November;  word  was  to  be  given  out  that  they  were 


76 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


going  to  have  a  grand  deer-hunt.  When  Parliament  assembled,  Guy 
Fawkes  and  four  other  villains  were  to  touch  off  barrels  of  powder,  which 
thev  would  secrete  in  the  cellar  of  the  building,  and  there  would  be  an  ex- 


STREET    LEADING    TO    PARLIAMENT-HOUSE. 


plosion  that  would  shake  every  house  in  London.  King,  ministers,  lords, 
and  commons  would  go  sky-high.  Before  the  people  could  inquire 
what  had  happened,  the  conspirators  would  seize  the  king's  two  sons  and 
hurry  them  across  the  Channel.  A  Spanish  army  would  land,  and  the 
Protestants  would  be  under  the  heels  of  the  Pope  and  Jesuits. 

Conscience  is  ever  a  good  angel,  warning  us  whenever  we  set  our 
selves  to  do  wrong.  The  conscience  of  one  of  the  conspirators  troubled 
him ;  for  one  of  the  members  of  Parliament,  Lord  Monteagle,  was  his 
friend.  It  is  only  the  vilest  wretch  that  can  deliberately  murder  a  friend. 


THE  WISE  FOOL  OF  ENGLAND  AND  HIS   TIMES.  77 

The  thought  of  what  he  was  about  to  do  so  troubled  the  conspirator's 
conscience  that  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Lord  Monteagle,  warning  him  not  to 
attend  Parliament  at  its  opening.  It  was  afternoon,  November  4th,  that 
Lord  Monteagle  received  the  letter.  It  contained  a  sentence  that  puzzled 
him :  "  Though  there  be  no  appearance  of  any  stir,  yet  I  say  this  Par 
liament  shall  receive  a  terrible  blow,  and  yet  they  shall  not  see  who  hurts 
them." 

What  was  the  meaning  of  it  ?  Lord  Monteagle  hastened  to  the  king's 
ministers.  "Let  us  search  the  cellar  of  the  Parliament -house,"  they 
said ;  and  the  sheriff  and  his  men,  with  drawn  swords,  went  down  into  the 
cellar,  groped  through  dark  passages  with  lanterns,  and  discovered  Guy 
Fawkes  and  four  other  villains  placing  the  barrels  of  powder  and  laying 
the  train.  The  sheriff's  men  ran  their  swords  through  two  of  the  con 
spirators,  and  seized  the  others. 

All  England  held  its  breath  over  the  astounding  revelation.  Is  it  a 
wonder  that  the  people  hated  the  Pope,  the  Jesuits,  and  Spaniards  more 
than  ever  ?  "  Down  with  the  Jesuits  !  Hang  them  !  No  popery  in  Eng 
land  !"  they  cried. 

Some  of  the  leaders  were  hung;  some  fled  to  other  countries;  many 
were  imprisoned.  So  intense  was  the  hatred  that  a  Roman  Catholic  was 
not  safe  on  the  streets.  If  one  appeared,  the  mob  pelted  him  with  stones. 
They  could  hold  no  worship,  and  could  only  cherish  their  belief  in 
silence. 

The  bishops  of  the  Church  of  England,  the  ministers  in  all  the  par 
ishes,  preached  bitter  sermons  against  the  Papists  and  Jesuits.  The  bal 
lad-writers  wrote  songs  against  them,  which  were  sung  by  minstrels  at  all 
the  county  fairs,  arousing  the  hatred  of  the  people.  Ever  as  November 
5th  came  round,  the  boys  in  London,  and  in  every  town  and  village,  made 
a  mock  pope,  stuffing  old  clothes  with  straw,  putting  a  mitre  on  the  head 
of  the  image,  dragging  it  through  the  streets,  and  pelting  it  wit.li  stones. 
He  who  could  hit  it  in  the  eye  was  the  best  fellow.  When  evening  came 
they  tied  it  to  a  stake,  piled  fagots  around  it,  and  danced  in  savage  glee 
while  it  was  burning.  "Pope's  Day"  was  the  jolliest  of  the  year.  It 
was  a  day  on  which  all  England  drank  the  health  of  the  king  and  shouted 
"  No  popery !" 

The  Jesuits  had  sowed  Bigotry,  and  they  were  reaping  the  legitimate 
fruit.  If  they  were  having  a  hard  time  in  England,  the  Protestants  were 
having  a  harder  time  in  France,  Holland,  and  Germany.  Bigotry  and 
Intolerance  alike  were  regarded  as  virtues  by  the  Church  of  Rome  and 
the  Church  of  England.  The  world  was  very  far  from  understanding 


T8 


OLD  TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 


the  meaning  of  Christian  chari 
ty.  We  need  not  wonder  if, 
farther  along,  we  see  Intolerance 
taking  root  in  the  New  World. 

James  was  so  wise  in  some 
things,  and  foolish  in  others,  that 
he  was  called  a  "  wise  fool."  He 
believed  that  men  and  women, 
by  making  a  league  with  the 
devil,  could  bewitch  people,  and 
wrote  a  book  about  witchcraft ; 
also  a  book  against  the  smoking 
of  tobacco.  He  tried  to  suppress 
the  habit,  but  smoking  increased ; 
tobacco  -  shops  were  opened  all 
over  London. 

James  believed  that  he  was 
especially  and  divinely  appoint 
ed  of  God  to  be  king — to  rule 
as  he  pleased — and  that  subjects 
had  only  to  obey.  The  bishops 
agreed  with  him,  and  said  that  he 
was  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

When  the  king  travelled,  he  was  accompanied  by  a  great  number  of 
earls,  lords,  and  bishops.  Noblemen  spent  their  fortunes  in  entertaining 
him.  One  Sunday  he  dined  with  Sir  Arthur  Lake  at  Houghton  Hall,  and 
this  was  the  bill  of  fare  : 


TOBACCO-SHOP. — (FROM    AN    OLD    PRINT.) 


First  Course. 


Pullets. 
Boiled  Capon. 
Boiled  Mutton. 
Boiled  Chicken. 
Boiled  Duck. 
Roast  Mutton. 
Roast  Veal. 
Pallets. 

Cold  Roast  Heron 
Custards. 
Roast  Venison. 
Burred  Capon. 


Hot  pasty  of  Venison. 
Roast  Turkey. 
Burred  Veal. 
Roast  Swan. 
Hot  Chicken-pie. 
Cold  Rabbits. 
Jiggets  of  boiled  Mutton. 
Snipe-pie. 

Boiled  Breast  of  Veal. 
Roast  Capon. 
Cold  Tongue-pie. 
Boiled  Sprod. 
Roast  Pig. 


Second 

Course. 

Hot  Pheasant. 

Rabbits. 

Quails. 

Ducks. 

Partridges. 

Burred  Chicken. 

Poults. 

Pea  Tarts. 

Roast  Pigeon. 

Plovers. 

A  made  Dish. 

Red  Deer-pie. 

Turkey-pie. 

Burred  Pig. 

Hogs  Cheeks,  dried. 

Hot  Roast  Heron. 

Cold  Turkey. 

Roast  Lamb. 

Artichoke-pie. 

Gammon  of  Bacon. 

Chicken. 

Pullets  and  Greens. 

Roast  Curlew. 

Dried  Tongue. 

Buttered  Pease. 

Pheasant  Tarts. 

A  great  deal  of  meat,  and  not  much  besides. 


THE  WISE  FOOL  OF  ENGLAND  AND  HIS  TIMES.  79 

After  dinner  the  servants  presented  a  petition  to  the  king,  requesting 
permission  to  engage  in  sports  and  games  on  Sunday  afternoon.  The 
king  gave  them  liberty  to  wrestle,  run  races,  play  ball,  pitch  quoits,  throw- 
iron  bars;  but  they  were  not  to  set  cocks  to  fighting,  or  worry  bulls  with 
dogs  on  Sundays.  On  week-days  they  might  attend  cock-fights,  or  engage 
in  any  other  brutal  sport.  He  had  a  cockpit  of  his  own  near  the  palace, 
and  took  great  delight  in  seeing  the  cocks  peck  one  another  to  pieces. 

James  took  great  pleasure  in  attending  the  theatres,  although  many  of 
the  plays  were  very  indecent.  The  theatres  were  foul  places.  The  king, 
the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  court,  the  noblemen,  occupied  the  boxes, 
but  down  in  the  pit  there  was  a  dirty  crowd,  sitting  on  benches  that  had 
no  backs.  Between  the  acts  they  guzzled  beer,  which  was  drawn  from  a 
barrel  in  the  centre  of  the  pit.  The  language  of  the  plays  was  vile,  and 
interlarded  with  oaths  and  ribaldry.  There  were  indecent  scenes;  but  the 
king,  queen,  lords,  and  ladies  witnessed  them  without  blushing. 


THE    DINNER. 


Writers  record  the  thoughts  of  the  age  in  which  they  live,  and  the 
spirit  of  any  period  will  ever  be  seen  in  the  literature  of  the  time.  Ben 
Jonson  tells  us  how  vile  the  drama  was  in  the  time  of  James. 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


r'ti 

GLOBE    THEATRE. 

"  [n  dramatic  or  stage  poetry,"  he  says, "nothing  but  ribaldry,  profana 
tion,  blasphemies,  all  license  of  offence  toward  God  and  man  is  pictured. 
Nothing  but  filth  of  mire  is  uttered." 

The  actors  ridiculed  the  Bible,  called  Moses  a  juggler,  and  maintained 
that  religion  was  a  farce.  Many  ladies  and  gentlemen  thought  it  an  ac 
complishment  to  use  profane  language ;  and  if  a  person  did  not  interlard 
his  conversation  with  oaths,  he  was  set  down  as  being  a  Puritan,  and  sub 
jected  to  all  manner  of  ridicule. 

"  Every  stage  and  every  table,"  wrote  Lucy  Hutchinson,  "  belched  forth 
profane  scoffs  upon  the  Puritans.  The  drunkards  made  the  songs,  and  all 
fiddlers  and  musicians  learned  to  abuse  them." 

Shakspeare  never  ridiculed  the  honest  convictions  of  men.  He  wrote 
nothing  against  the  Puritans,  perhaps  because  his  daughter  Judith,  as  is 
supposed,  was  a  Puritan  ;  perhaps  because  he  never  forgot  the  Sundays  of 


THE   WISE   FOOL   OF  ENGLAND  AND  HIS  TIMES.  81 

his  boyhood,  when  he  walked  beneath  the  stately  trees  in  the  church-yard 
at  Stratford,  on  the  green  banks  of  the  Avon,  and  listened  to  the  sermons 
preached  in  the  old  stone  church.  Either  from  the  sermons  or  from 
the  Bible,  he  obtained  such  a  comprehension  of  duty,  obligation,  con 
science,  and  retribution,  that  when,  in  after  years,  he  sat  down  to  write, 
he  produced  plays  which  portray  vice  in  its  hatefulness  and  virtue  in  all 
its  loveliness. 

James  had  married  Anne  of  Denmark,  and  when  her  father,  the  King 
of  Denmark,  came  to  make  a  visit,  Ben  Jonson,  the  poet-laureate,  wrote 
a  dramatic  poem  which  represented  the  visit  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba  to 
Solomon. 

James  gave  a  grand  entertainment  in  his  palace  to  all  the  ladies  and 
gentlemen  of  the  court,  some  of  whom  were  selected  to  perform  Jori- 
son's  play.  Unfortunately,  the  noble  lady  who  personated  the  Queen  of 


HOUSK    IN    WHICH    SIIAKSPEAKE    WAS    I5OUX. 


Sheba  had  drunk  so  much  wine,  that  when  she  kneeled  before  the  King 
of  Denmark,  who  personated  Solomon,  to  present  a  tray  containing  a  gob 
let  of  wine,  a  dish  of  custard,  a  pitcher  of  cream,  and  a  plate  of  cakes,  she 

6 


82 


OLD  TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 


lost    her    bal 
ance  and  spilt 
them    in     his 
lap.     The  King  of  Den 
mark  was  in  a  sorry  plight, 
but  the  servants  came  with 
napkins   and    wiped    him 

off.  He  attempted  to  dance,  but  was  so  tipsy  that  he  lost  his  footing 
and  tumbled  upon  the  floor.  Three  ladies,  representing  Faith,  Hope,  and 
Charity,  had  drunk  so  much  wine  that  they  could  not  speak  their  parts. 
Ben  Jonson  had  prepared  a  part  for  Victory,  but  the  wine  had  gone  to 


HOLY   TRINITY    CHURCH,  STRATFORD. 


THE  WISE   FOOL   OF  ENGLAND  AND  HIS  TIMES.  83 

her  head,  and  she  became  crazy  for  the  time  being,  slapped  the  lords  and 
ladies  in  the  face  with  her  olive-branch  of  peace,  and  made  so  much  dfs- 
turbance  that  the  servants  were  obliged  to  put  her  out  of  the  hall. 

The  people  loved  games,  and  on  market-days,  in  the  country  towns, 
there  was  cock-fighting,  worrying  of  bulls  by  dogs,  and  games  in  which 
women  and  girls  took  part — running  for  prizes,  or  seeing  which  could 
make  the  broadest  grin  or  loudest  yawn  ;  noblemen,  courtiers,  and  many 
ministers  spent  much  of  their  time  in  gambling  with  cards  and  dice  in 
the  tobacco-shop,  for  the  people  were  learning  to  smoke. 

The  Puritans  believed  that  life  was  not  a  holiday,  but  that  men  were 


STRATFORD    PORTRAIT    OF    SHAKSPEARE. 


in  this  world  for  a  grand  purpose;  that  they  were  accountable  to  God 
for  every  act ;  that  it  was  the  duty  of  everybody  to  live  soberly  and  right 
eously.  They  brought  the  power  of  the  world  to  come  to  bear  upon  ev 
ery  thought  and  act.  No  person  had  a  right  to  be  idle.  A  frivolous  life 
was  a  wasted  life. 


84  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

Such  ideas  were  distasteful  to  the  crowd  of  courtiers,  who  ridiculed 
the  sober-minded  men  and  women  who  were  ever  talking  of  duty  and  ob 
ligation.  Thus  it  came  about  that  society  was  divided  into  two  classes : 
the  king,  nobility,  courtiers,  bishops,  the  ministers  who  had  fat  livings 
and  who  loved  their  ease,  the  rich  tradesmen,  the  play-actors,  those  who 
loved  sports  on  Sunday,  on  one  side ;  on  the  other  were  many  farmers 


BEAR-GARDKN. 


and  peasants,  some  tradesmen  and  mechanics,  some  ministers,  not  many 
of  the  nobility,  and  very  few  of  the  courtiers.  Only  a  small  portion  of 
the  people  were  Puritans  while  James  was  king,  but  their  numbers  in 
creased  as  the  years  rolled  on  ;  not  altogether  because  people  became 
more  religious,  but  because  of  the  arbitrary  acts  of  James  and  his  son 
Charles.  Political  questions  made  men  Puritans. 

James  wanted  more  money  than  Parliament  was  willing  to  grant,  and 
obtained  it  by  selling  titles.  If  a  man  wished  to  be  a  viscount,  he  must 
pay  one  hundred  thousand  dollars;  if  an  earl,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand. 

"Why  not  create  a  new  title  and  raise. more  money?"  suggested  Sir 
Thomas  Shirley.  James  acted  u  >on  the  hint,  and  created  the  title  of  bar 
onet,  and  reaped  a  harvest  of  -  million  dollars. 


THE  WISE   FOOL   OF  ENGLAND  AND  HIS  TIMES.  85 

Parliament  bad  granted  the  king  duties  on  all  goods  brought  into  or 
sent  from  England,  at  a  fixed  rate ;  but  James  discovered  a  way  to  put 
money  in  his  pockets  by  increasing  the  rates.  Vessels,  for  instance,  which 
came  from  Greece  brought  cargoes  of  dried  currants,  which  paid  two  shil 
lings  sixpence  on  every  hundred  pounds;  James  raised  it  to  seven  shil 
lings  sixpence  without  consulting  Parliament ;  and  so  with  everything 
else — putting  all  into  his  own  pocket. 

The  judges  of  the  Star-chamber  and  the  bishops  of  the  court  of 
High  Commission  did  as  he  desired.  The  laws  said  that  no  man  who 
was  accused  of  a  crime  should  be  compelled  to  testify  against  himself, 
but  the  judges  and  bishops  disregarded  it.  Two  men  were  brought 
before  the  bishops  for  not  conforming  to  the  ritual,  and  to  answer  other 
charges. 

"  We  will  not  take  an  oath  to  testify  against  ourselves,"  they  said. 

The  bishops  sent  them  to  prison ;  but  they  appealed  to  the  judges  of 
another  court  for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  which  means  "to  have  the 
body  ;"  that  is,  the  judges  of  the  other  court  had  power  to  order  the  sheriff 
to  take  the  two  men  from  prison,  and  bring  them  before  their  court  for 
examination  ;  and  they  could  order  their  release  if  they  pleased,  or  send 
them  to  prison  again.  Mr.  Fuller  argued  the  case  before  the  judges  of 
the  King's  Bench. 

"  They  ought  to  be  released,"  he  said,  "  because  the  High  Commission 
has  not  been  empowered  by  law  to  fine  or  imprison,  neither  to  administer 
oaths." 

That  was  a  blow  at  the  authority  of  the  bishops,  who  summoned  Ful 
ler  to  appear  before  them ;  and,  when  he  refused  to  take  the  oath,  they 
threw  him  into  prison,  and  compelled  him  to  pay  a  fine  of  one  thousand 
dollars.  The  judges  of  the  King's  Bench  did  not  interfere,  and  the  Star- 
chamber  and  High  Commission  went  on  with  their  oppression.  Men 
were  put  into  prison,  whipped,  branded  on  the  cheek,  or  had  their  noses 
and  ears  cut  off  for  not  conforming  to  the  ritual,  or  for  denying  the  au 
thority  of  the  bishops. 

For  light  offences  men  were  subjected  to  cruel  punishments.  In 
every  village  there  was  a  whipping-post,  pillory,  and  stocks.  If  a  woman 
scolded  her  husband  or  neighbors,  she  was  put  in  the  pillory,  or  whipped, 
or  tied  to  the  ducking-stool  and  soused  in  a  pond.  If  a  man  spoke  dis 
respectfully  of  the  bishops  or  king,  he  was  flogged.  For  stealing  or 
breaking  into  houses,  men  were  hung. 

It  was  a  ghastly  spectacle  that  the  passengers  across  London  Bridge 
beheld — skeletons  hanging  in  chains  and  swinging  in  the  wind.  Those 


86 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


who  passed  beneath  the  Temple  gate  saw  rows  of  skulls  grinning  upon 
them  from  the  parapet. 

It  was  believed  that  unless  bodily  pain  was  inflicted ;  unless  offenders 
were  whipped,  or  had  their  noses  cut  off;  unless  they  were  imprisoned  or 
hung,  there  would  not  be  a  proper  administration  of  justice,  and  society 
would  not  be  secure.  The  laws  were  brutal,  because  the  people  were 
brutal.  What  we  call  the  spirit  of  the  age,  is  only  our  own  spirit.  When 
criminals  were  hung,  thousands  flocked  to  behold  the  hanging,  and  made 
sport  when  the  sheriff  swung  them  off.  The  multitude  experienced  a 
savage  pleasure  in  seeing  Jack  Ketch  cut  off  a  man's  head. 

The  judges  had  a  great  deal  to  say  about  the  majesty  of  the  law. 
Bishops  claimed  the  right  to  compel  everybody  to  believe  as  they  be 
lieved  and  worship  as  they  worshipped,  and  had  power  to  punish  by  fines, 
flogging,  and  imprisonment  all  who  would  not  obey  their  commands. 

Will  the  people  who  cross  the  Atlantic  to  settle  America,  who  have 
been  subject  to  persecution,  at  once  become  charitable?  Change  of  place 
cannot  change  the  spirit  of  an  age.  Time  alone  can  do  it. 


MEDAL    OF   JAMBS  I. 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  TWO  CIVILIZATIONS. 


87 


CHAPTER  Y. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  TWO  CIVILIZATIONS. 

A  COACH  blazing  with  gold,  with  white  lilies  on  its  panels — the  arms 
of  France — rumbled  through  a  narrow  street  in  Paris  on  the  after 
noon  of  July  14th,  1610.     In  the  coach  was  a  gray -haired  man,  with  a 
hooked  nose,  sharp  chin,  wrinkled  face,  and  stiff  gray  mustache.     Fifty- 


BIRTHPLACB    OF    HENRY    IV. 


seven  years  had  passed  since  his  birth  in  an  old  stone  castle  at  Pan,  in  the 
Pyrenees,  where  his  fond  grandfather  poured  wine  and  garlic  down  his 
throat  to  make  him  strong  (see  "  Story  of  Liberty  ") ;  twenty  years  had 
gone  by  since  his  white  plume,  waving  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  at 


88  OLD   TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 

Ivry,  had  won  a  great  victory  for  the  Huguenots — toleration  for  them 
and  peace  to  France— through  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  that  alike  protected 


THE    INDIANS    AT    HOME. 


Catholic  and  Huguenots.  Henry  IV.,  beloved  by  the  people,  hated  by 
the  Jesuits,  was  riding  alone  through  the  narrow  street,  where  the  quaint 
old  houses,  jutting  story  over  story,  shut  out  the  sunlight.  Two  carts 
blocked  the  way,  and  the  coach  came  to  a  stand-still.  A  stout  man  with 
red  whiskers,  deep-set,  wolfish  eyes,  the  Jesuit  Kavaillac,  wearing  a  cloak, 
stepped  up  to  the  window.  A  dagger  gleamed  in  the  air,  and  then  was 
buried  to  the  handle  in  the  heart  of  the  king.  A  gasp,  a  gurgling  in  the 
throat,  a  sinking  of  the  body  upon  the  cushions,  and  all  is  over.  He  is 
gone ;  gone  also  the  peace  of  Europe,  the  tranquillity  of  France,  the  hope 


THE   BEGINNING   OF   TWO   CIVILIZATIONS.  89 

of  the  Huguenots;  but  there  is  rejoicing  in  convents  and  nunneries,  for 
no  more  will  the  Jesuits  be  thwarted  in  their  plans  by  Henry  IV. 

Marie  de  Medicis,  pliant,  unprincipled,  wicked — regent  for  lier  little 
son  till  he  shall  become  king — will  be  a  supple  tool  in  their  hands;  what 
ever  they  ask  she  will  grant,  and  they  will  train  the  son  to  follow  in  the 
footsteps  of  the  mother. 

What  glorious  news !  The  red  men  of  America  all  becoming  Chris 
tians !  Young  Biericourt,  son  of  Baron  Pontrincourt,  brings  the  intelli 
gence. 

Four  years  had  passed  since  the  abandonment  of  Port  Royal  by  Sieur 
de  Monts,  who,  having  lost  much  money,  sold  all  his  rights  in  Acadia  to 
Baron  Pontrincourt,  who  hastened  across  the  sea  to  take  possession  of  his 
purchase.  There  was  rejoicing  in  the  wigwams  of  the  Indians  when  his 
vessel  dropped  anchor  in  Port  Royal.  The  houses  and  the  furniture  re 
mained  just  as  Sieur  de  Monts  had  left  them.  Membertu,  the  Indian 
chief,  who  was  very  old,  welcomed  his  friends  the  French  once  more. 

"  I  have  served  the  devil  all  my  life,  and  now  I  want  to  be  good,"  he 
said. 

Possibly  he  remembered  the  dinners  he  had  eaten  in  the  great  hall 
with  Sieur  de  Monts,  and  would  like  to  partake  of  other  feasts. 

"  I  would  like  to  accept  the  white  man's  God,  and  my  squaws  and 
children  will  also  accept  him." 

On  the  day  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  there  was  an  imposing  scene  at 
Port  Royal.  Baron  Pontrincourt  and  the  other  gentlemen  of  the  expedi 
tion,  wearing  glittering  breastplates  and  plumed  hats,  guarded  by  soldiers, 
keeping  step  to  the  drum-beat,  marching  in  procession,  escorted  the  Jes 
uit  priests  from  the  little  log  church  to  the  sea-shore.  The  sailors  and 
colonists  gathered  in  groups  around,  greatly  interested  in  all  that  was 
going  on ;  also  the  dusky  warriors  who  had  come  to  see  their  old  chief 
and  his  wives  become  Christians.  Membertu  and  his  family  kneeled 
upon  the  pebbled  beach,  the  priest  sprinkled  them  with  holy-water,  a  Te 
Deum  was  sung,  the  cannon  thundered  on  ship  and  shore. 

"  Henceforth  you  will  be  called  Henri,"  said  the  priest  to  Membertu, 
naming  him  for  the  King  of  France. 

"I  give  you  the  name  of  Marie,"  said  the  priest  to  wife  No.  1,  bestow 
ing  upon  her  the  name  of  Marie  de  Medicis. 

Another  thundering  of  cannon,  and  the  old  chief  and  all  his  family 
were  Christians. 

Indians  far  away  heard  that  Membertu  had  accepted  the  Frenchman's 
religion,  and  hastened  to  Port  Royal  to  be  baptized. 


90  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

"Will  they  have  such  good  dinners  in  the  next  world  as  you  give 
here?"  they  asked. 

Captain  John  Smith  the  while  was  exploring  Chesapeake  Bay,  trav 
elling  in  an  open  boat  three  thousand  miles  up  the  eastern  and  down  the 
westen  shore,  and  up  the  Potomac,  till  stopped  by  the  falls  above  Wash 
ington.  We  may  believe  that  the  thought  never  came  to  him  that  upon 
the  northern  bank  would  one  day  stand  the  capitol  of  a  great  republic. 

Several  hundred  new  colonists  arrived  at  Jamestown,  sent  out  by  the 
London  Company.  An  historian  of  Virginia  has  given  this  description  of 
the  new-comers: 

"  They  were  gentlemen  reduced  to  poverty  by  gaming  and  extrava 
gance,  too  proud  to  beg,  too  lazy  to  dig ;  broken  tradesmen  with  some 
stigma  of  fraud  yet  clinging  to  their  names;  fortune-hunters  who  had 
expended  in  their  mother  country  the  last  shred  of  honest  reputation 
they  had  ever  held ;  rakes  consumed  by  desires,  and  shattered  by  the 
service  of  impurity;  libertines  whose  end  of  sin  wras  yet  to  run  ;  and  un 
ruly  sparks  packed  off  by  their  friends  to  escape  worse  destinies  at  home." 

"  Do  men  gather  grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs  of  thistles?" 

The  greatest  of  all  teachers  put  this  question  eighteen  hundred  years 
ago,  and  history  has  always  confirmed  his  answer.  States  are  not  built  of 
such  material. 

The  merchants  of  London  had  not  grasped  the  idea  that  Industry, 
Thrift,  Economy,  Virtue,  Intelligence,  Integrity,  and  Character  are  needed 
to  make  a  prosperous  community  ;  that  what  does  not  help,  hinders ;  that 
the  idlers  and  vagabonds  could  pull  down  faster  than  they  could  build  up. 
They  repeated  Sir  John  Popham's  mistake. 

All  was  confusion  at  Jamestown.  The  new-comers  ate  up  the  pro 
visions  of  the  colonists.  They  were  lazy. 

"  We  did  not  come  here  to  work,"  they  said. 

"  Then  yon  shall  not  eat,"  said  Captain  John  Smith,  and  ruled  them 
with  a  determination  that  soon  brought  order  out  of  confusion.  But 
when  he  sailed  for  England  the  vagabonds  had  things  their  own  way  ; 
they  robbed  the  Indians,  and  the  Indians,  in  revenge,  split  open  the  skulls 
of  the  robbers.  Famine  came.  Thirty  of  the  scapegraces  seized  one  of 
the  vessels  in  the  river  and  turned  pirates.  The  Indians  became  more 
bold— cutting  off  all  stragglers.  In  six  months  after  Captain  Smith's  de 
parture  the  settlers  dwindled  from  four  hundred  and  ninety  to  sixty; 
and  they  were  eating  their  last  provisions  when  Sir  Thomas  Gates  arrived 
from  the  West  Indies.  What  a  scene  was  that  which  he  beheld !  A  few 
haggard,  starving  wretches  on  the  verge  of  despair ! 


THE   BEGINNING   OF   TWO   CIVILIZATIONS.  91 

Sir  Thomas  had  suffered  shipwreck  at  the  Bermudas,  but  had  built 
two  small  vessels  there,  and  had  reached  Jamestown  with  very  little 
food  to  give  to  the  starving  colonists. 

"We  must  abandon  the  settlement,  make  our  way  to  Newfoundland, 
and  join  the  fishermen,"  said  Sir  Thomas. 

"We  will  burn  the  cursed  place,"  shouted  the  colonists,  ready  to  set 
the  houses  on  fire ;  but  Sir  Thomas  prevented  them  from  carrying  out 
their  plan. 

They  sailed  down  the  James ;  but  their  hearts  were  made  glad  at 
meeting  Lord  Delaware  in  a  ship  bringing  supplies  and  emigrants. 
With  fresh  courage  they  went  back  to  begin  once  more  the  foundations 
of  an  empire.  Lord  Delaware  was  appointed  governor.  He  ruled  mild 
ly  but  firmly.  The  new  colonists  were  more  industrious.  Early  in  the 
morning  they  all  gathered  in  the  little  church  while  prayers  were  read, 
and  made  their  devotions  more  pleasant  by  keeping  the  building  adorned 
with  flowers.  After  prayers  they  had  breakfast,  and  then  worked  from 
six  till  ten.  They  rested  while  the  sun  was  hottest,  but  labored  from  two 
till  four  in  the  afternoon.  "  He  that  tilleth  the  land  shall  be  satisfied 
with  bread."  Solomon  said  it  three  thousand  years  ago,  and  the  colo 
nists  quickly  proved  its  truth.  The  harvest  was  bountiful,  and  there  were 
abundant  supplies. 

Lord  Delaware  returned  to  England,  and  Sir  Thomas  Dale  succeeded 
him  as  governor.  A  code  of  laws  printed  in  England  was  sent  out.  The 
governor  had  all  power,  and  could  inflict  severe  punishment.  If  a  colo 
nist  used  an  oath  against  the  king,  he  was  to  be  put  to  death. 

The  poets,  who  a  few  years  before  had  written  plays  picturing  the 
richness  and  attractiveness  of  Virginia,  now  hejd  the  country  and  settlers 
up  to  ridicule,  which  so  grieved  Kev.  Mr.  Crashaw  that  he  wrote  this 
prayer  for  the  use  of  the  settlers,  and  which  was  printed  with  the  laws : 

"  Whereas,  we  have,  by  undertaking  this  plantation,  undergone  the  re 
proof  of  a  base  world,  insomuch  as  many  of  our  own  brethren  laugh  us  to 
scorn,  O  Lord  we  pray  thee  fortify  us  against  this  temptation.  Let  San- 
ballat  and  Tobias,  Papists  and  players,  and  such  other  Amorites  and  Hor- 
onites,  the  scum  and  dregs  of  the  earth — let  them  mock  such  as  help  to 
build  up  the  walls  of  Jerusalem.  They  that  be  filthy,  let  them  be  filthy 
still." 

In  1611  three  hundred  men  and  one  hundred  cattle  were  sent  to  Vir 
ginia.  Part  of  the  emigrants  settled  at  Hampton,  and  part  up  the  river 
beyond  Jamestown.  The  laws  were  made  more  severe.  If  a  man  stayed 
away  from  church  on  Sunday,  he  was  to  suffer  the  loss  of  a  week's  provi- 


92  OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

sion ;  for  a  second  offence  he  was  to  be  whipped ;  and  for  staying  away 
three  times,  was  to  be  put  to  death.  If  he  refused  to  tell  the  minister 
what  he  believed  in  regard  to  religion,  he  was  to  be  whipped  till  he  com 
plied.  If  a  washer-woman  stole  a  piece  of  linen,  she  was  to  be  tied  to  the 
whipping-post  and  flogged.  If  the  baker  did  not  put  a  given  amount  of 
flour  into  his  loaves,  he  was  to  have  his  ears  cut  off. 

The  company  held  everything  in  their  own  hands,  and  there  was  no 
incentive  to  labor,  no  hope  of  reward.  A  new  policy  was  inaugurated  by 
the  governor — the  giving  of  a  few  acres  of  land  to  each  settler  for  an 
orchard  and  garden.  The  land  was  taken  from  the  Indians,  no  regard  be 
ing  paid  to  their  rights,  nor  anything  given  in  return,  and  the  settlers 
helped  themselves  to  corn  which  the  Indians  had  raised. 

The  company  in  London  wanted  money ;  and  as  no  revenue  had  been 
received  from  the  colony,  the  king  gave  a  new  charter,  with  the  privilege 
of  their  setting  up  a  lottery.  They  advertised  great  prizes,  but,  when  the 
drawing  took  place,  the  people  who  had  purchased  tickets  found  that 
there  were  sixty  thousand  blanks  to  one  prize ! 

It  was  a  dreary  winter,  that  of  1612,  to  the  Jesuit  fathers,  and  the  few 
Frenchmen  in  the  little  settlement  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Bay  of 
Fundy.  They  had  little  to  eat,  and  could  give  no  such  feasts  to  the  In 
dians  as  De  Monts  had  spread  for  them  seven  years  before.  Father  Biard 
was  studying  the  Indian  language,  giving  them  bits  of  bread  to  induce 
them  to  talk.  The  Indians  made  game  of  him. 

"  What  are  the  Indian  words  for  Faith,  Hope,  Charity,  Sacrament,  Bap 
tism  ?"  asked  the  priest. 

The  unsuspecting  father  wrote  down,  in  all  soberness,  the  low,  scurril 
ous,  and  indecent  words  which  they  gave.  He  made  a  catechism,  but  was 
greatly  perplexed  at  the  laughter  of  the  savages  when  he  came  to  use  it. 

In  midwinter,  when  their  provisions  were  running  low,  a  vessel  from 
France  arrived,  bringing  information  that  Baron  Pontrincourt  had  lost 
much  money,  and  was  obliged  to  sell  his  rights  in  Acadia  to  Madame  de 
Guercheville,  a  rich  and  noble  lady,  deeply  religious,  who  was  ready  to 
employ  her  wealth  in  converting  the  Indians  to  the  Catholic  faith.  The 
Jesuits  told  her  of  the  glory  and  honor  that  would  await  her  in  the  next 
world  if  she  should  be  the  means  of  saving  the  souls  of  the  Indians.  Her 
zeal  was  fired  for  the  Church. 

In  grand  old  cathedrals,  amidst  the  pomp  and  gorgeous  ceremony  of 
the  Church,  women  weary  of  the  world  were  bidding  good-bye  to  its  fri 
volity,  taking  the  veil,  consecrating  themselves  to  lives  of  penance  and 
self-denial,  that  they  might  win  heaven.  Madame  de  Guercheville  planned 


THE   BEGINNING  OF  TWO  CIVILIZATIONS. 


93 


to  send  a  company  of  nuns  and  Jesuit  fathers  to  carry  on  the  work  al 
ready  begun.     She  infused  a  little  of  her  own  spirit  into  the  indolent, 


NUN    TAKING   THE    VEIL. 


frivolous,  voluptuous  crowd  that  swarmed  around  the  boy -king,  Louis 
XIII.,  so  that  they  opened  their  purses  and  contributed  liberally  to  her 
enterprise. 

The  Jesuits  laid  far-reaching  plans,  persuading  Madame  de  Guerche- 
ville  to  ask  Louis  to  give  her  all  the  country  between  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  Florida.  What  was  a  wilderness  on  the  other  side  of  the  sea  to  a 


94:  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

boy  ?  What  did  he  know  or  care  about  it  ?  Nothing.  He  granted  all 
that  Madame  de  Guercheville  asked,  giving  her  the  whole  of  America 
north  of  the  territory  claimed  by  Spain,  including  Virginia.  The  Jesuits 


MOUNT    DESERT. 


were  delighted  ;  the  continent  was  theirs  !  Not  quite.  There  were  other 
forces  at  work,  and  other  wills  and  plans  besides  theirs.  Time  would 
reveal  them. 

Along  the  towering  cliffs  of  Mount  Desert,  into  the  peaceful  waters 
of  Somes  Sound,  sailed  a  ship  from  Honflear.  It  was  the  month  of  May, 
and  the  forest  was  robed  in  green,  and  the  air  fragrant  with  the  odors 
of  spring.  The  vessel  was  owned  by  Madame  de  Guercheville,  and  com 
manded  by  an  officer  of  the  Court  of  Louis  XII.,  De  Saussaye.  The  ves 
sel  had  touched  at  Port  Royal,  and  taken  on  board  Father  Biard  and 
other  Jesuits.  Madame  de  Guercheville  had  sent  out  a  company  of  col 
onists,  who,  with  the  priests,  were  to  establish  missions  to  convert  the 
Indians. 

A  signal  fire  was  blazing  on  the  beach,  kindled  by  the  Indians,  and 
Father  Biard  hastened  to  the  shore.  The  Indians  knew  him,  for  they 
had  been  to  Port  Royal  and  eaten  good  dinners  at  the  hall. 

"  Our  chief  is  sick,  and  will  die,  and  live  in  hell  forever  if  he  is  not 
baptized !"  they  said. 

The  priest  hastened  to  see  the  chief,  and  found  that  he  had  only  a 
bad  cold,  and  was  in  no  danger  of  dying.  But  he  saw  what  a  beautiful 
place  it  was — a  green  and  grassy  slope  descending  to  the  sea — a  delight 
ful  harbor  protected  from  the  ocean's  waves. 


THE   BEGINNING   OF  TWO   CIVILIZATIONS. 


95 


The  colonists  went  on  shore.  The  priest  set  up  the  cross,  and  mass 
was  said.  The  four  white  tents  which  Madame  de  Guercheville  had  sent 
were  pitched  on  the  verdant  slope,  and  the  boxes,  bales,  and  chests  of 
goods  unloaded. 

What  vessel  was  that  sailing  into  the  harbor,  with  a  red  flag  and  the 
cross  of  St.  George  at  the  mast-head,  and  sixteen  cannon  protruding  from 
the  port-holes,  and  sixty  men  on  her  deck  ? 

It  was  a  ship  commanded  by  Samuel  Argall,  who  was  roving  the  sea, 
trading  to  the  West  Indies,  and  fishing  near  Virginia.  He  had  been  to 
Jamestown;  had  coasted  northward  to  the  Isles  of  Shoals;  from  thence 
had  sailed  into  Penobscot  Bay.  Indians  came  out  in  their  canoes,  and 
climbed  on  board. 

"Normans,"  they  said,  pointing  eastward. 


PENOBSCOT   BAY. 


Captain  Argall  understood  by  their  signs  and  words  that  the  French 
were  in  that  direction,  and  sailed  for  Mount  Desert.  Frenchmen  mak 
ing  a  settlement  on  English  territory !  He  would  see  about  that.  He 
descried  the  vessel  sent  out  by  Madame  de  Guereheville  at  anchor,  and 


96  OLD   TIMES    IN   THE    COLONIES. 

the  white  tents  on  the  beach.  Saussaye  was  on  shore,  but  Lieutenant  La 
Motto  and  the  Jesuit  priest  De  Thet  were  on  shipboard. 

"  Who  are  you  2     What  do  you  want  ?"  shouted  De  la  Motte. 

A  roar  from  all  his  cannon  was  Argall's  answer. 

"  Fire !  fire !"  shouted  De  Thet.  He  touched  off  a  cannon,  and  the 
next  moment  was  lying  wounded  on  the  deck,  knocked  down  by  a  ball. 
Over  the  railing  climbed  the  English,  capturing  the  vessel.  Saussaye  and 
those  on  shore  fled  to  the  woods,  while  Argall  landed  and  searched  the 
chests  and  boxes,  putting  into  his  pocket  the  commission  which  the  king 
had  given  Saussaye. 

To  remain  in  the  woods  was  to  die  of  starvation,  and  the  Frenchmen 
gave  themselves  up  as  prisoners. 

"King  James  owns  this  country,"  said  Argall. 

"  I  have  authority  from  the  King  of  France  to  make  a  settlement 
here." 

"  I  would  like  to  see  it,  if  you  please." 

Saussaye  searched  his  trunk,  but  could  not  find  it. 

"You  are  a  robber,  and  deserve  to  be  hung.  I  shall  take  possession 
of  your  property,"  said  Argall.  He  set  some  of  the  captives  adrift  in  a 
boat  to  find  their  way  to  the  French  fishermen  at  Newfoundland,  and 
took  the  remainder  to  Virginia. 

"  I  will  hang  the  rascals,"  said  Sir  Thomas  Dale ;  but  as  France  and 
England  were  at  peace,  he  did  not  quite  dare  to;  but  he  made  short  work 
of  the  colony  at  Port  Royal  by  sending  Argall  to  stamp  it  out. 

A  few  days  later,  charred  brands  and  heaps  of  ashes  alone  marked  the 
site  of  the  great  hall ;  and  Biencourt,  the  governor,  and  the  colonists  were 
wanderers  in  the  wilderness,  living  through  the  winter  in  wigwams,  on 
loots,  and  the  bark  and  buds  of  trees,  and  clams  from  the  sea-shore,  and 
such  morsels  as  they  could  get  from  the  Indians. 

So  a  rover  of  the  sea,  acting  on  his  own  responsibility,  upset  all  the 
plans  of  the  Jesuits.  They  must  begin  again.  It  was  the  first  conflict 
in  the  great  struggle  on  the  American  continent  between  the  two  sys 
tems  of  civilization. 


HOW  BEAVER-SKINS  AND  TOBACCO  HELPED   ON   CIVILIZATION.        97 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HOW  BEAVER-SKINS  AND  TOBACCO   HELPED  ON  CIVILIZATION. 

OTsT  April  14th,  1614,  two  vessels,  one  commanded  by  Captain  John 
Smith  and  the  other  by  Captain  Hunt,  dropped  anchor  off  the  Island 
of  Monhegan,  on  the  coast  of  Maine.  They  had  been  sent  out  by  the 
London  Company  to  explore  the  coast.  Captain  Smith  set  some  of  the 
men  to  work  building  a  boat ;  and  while  they  were  sawing  out  the  planks 
he  sailed  with  eight  men  eastward  to  the  Bay  of  Penobscot,  exploring  the 
islands  and  harbor ;  then  steering  west,  he  sailed  past  Whale's  Back  Isl 
and,  and  entered  the  beautiful  Piscataqna,  and  saw  the  bank  from  which 
Martin  Pring  had  picked  strawberries.  Seven  miles  off  the  shore  he  saw 
a  group  of  islands — mostly  barren  ledges  and  high  cliffs,  with  rocky  reefs, 
on  which  the  waves  were  breaking,  and  named  them  the  Isles  of  Shoals. 


SMUTTY-NOSE. 


One  of  the  group  bears  the  name  of  Smutty-nose  ;  another,  Star  Island,  on 
which  a  monument  has  been  erected  in  honor  of  the  intrepid  man  who 
did  so  much  to  make  the  country  known  to  people  in  England,  and  who 
did  more  than  all  others  to  build  up  the  settlement  at  Jamestown. 


98  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

From  the  Isles  of  Shoals  Captain  Smith  steered  south  to  Cape  Ann, 
and  into  Massachusetts  Bay;  cruising  among  the  islands,  he  entered  a 


CAPTAIN    JOHN    SMITH  S    MONUMENT,   ISLES    OF    SHOALS. 

river,  which  he  named  Charles,  in  honor  of  King  James's  second  son. 
He  found  two  vessels  from  France  at  anchor  in  the  bay,  the  crews  trading 
with  the  Indians. 

We  are  to  remember  that  France  claimed  all  the  country,  through 
Cartier's  and  Verrazani's  discoveries,  and  that  the  boy- king  of  France 
has  given  it  to  Madame  de  Guercheville. 

Leaving  the  French  ships,  Captain  Smith  and  Captain  Hunt  sailed 
along  the  coast,  past  the  ledges  of  Cohasset  to  Cape  Cod,  where  they 
parted  company — Smith  returning  to  Monhegan,  and  from  there  to  Eng 
land,  where  he  made  a  map  of  the  coast,  which  he  presented  to  Prince 
Charles.  Captain  Hunt  enticed  some  of  the  Indians  on  board  his  ship, 
and  carried  them  to  England  to  sell  into  slavery. 

If  Captain  Smith,  instead  of  returning  to  England,  had  kept  on 
around  Cape  Cod  to  the  Hudson  River,  he  would  have  found  Adriaen 
Block,  of  Holland,  hard  at  work  building  a  little  vessel  on  the  island  of 
Manhattan.  He  had  been  trading  with  the  Indians,  buying  furs  for  the 
hat-makers  of  Amsterdam,  and  had  nearly  filled  his  ship  with  beaver- 


HOW  BEAVER-SKINS  AND  TOBACCO  HELPED   ON  CIVILIZATION. 


99 


skins,  when  it  took  fire  and  was  burnt.  Captain  Block  was  not  a  man 
to  sit  down  and  wring  his  hands  over  his  loss,  but  built  a  log-house  for 
his  crew,  and  set  them  to  work,  with  such  tools  as  they  had,  to  construct 
another  vessel,  and  soon  had  it  ready  for  sea.  It  was  only  sixteen  tons 
burden.  He  called  it  the  Onrust,  or  Restless.  Although  so  small,  the 
Dutchman  set  sail,  hoping  to  fall  in  with  some  larger  vessel  in  which  he 
could  make  his  way  to  Holland.  The  tide  swept  the  little  bark  through 
the  surging  waters  of  Hell  Gate,  and  a  south  wind  wafted  it  to  Connecti- 


CAPTAIN    BLOCK    BUILDING   THE   "  ONRUST." 


cut  River  — the  first  white  sail  ever  seen  by  the  Pequot  Indians,  who 
gazed  upon  it  from  the  hills  along  the  shore. 

Captain  Block  steered  for  the  island  that  bears  his  name,  and  from 


100  OLD   HMES  JN  THE  COLONIES. 

thence  eastward,  past  Nantucket  and  Martha's  Vineyard,  around   Cape 

Cod  to  Nahant. 

A  sail !  How  the  hearts  of  the  men  on  board  the  Onrust  were  glad 
dened  at  the  sight  of  that  white  speck  upon  the  horizon  off  Cape  Ann! 
How  joyful  to  meet  Hendrick  Christiansen  !  He  was  from  Amsterdam, 
on  his  way  to  the  Hudson  to  buy  furs.  They  exchanged  vessels— Chris 
tiansen  going  westward,  and  Block  striking  .boldly  across  the  Atlantic. 

In  the  city  of  Hague,  or  the  hedge,  in  Holland,  is  the  grand  old  Bin- 


VIEW    AT    THE    HAGUE. 


nenhof,  the  building  in  which  the  government  of  Holland  in  old  times 
held  its  meetings.  In  one  of  the  rooms,  on  October  llth,  1614,  sat  John 
of  Barneveld,  the  founder  of  the  Dutch  Republic.  He  was  sixty-eight 
years  old.  His  hair  and  beard  were  white.  He  had  large  features,  high 
cheek-bones,  a  sharp  nose,  broad  forehead,  firmly-set  lips,  and  mild  blue 
eyes.  He  wore  a  velvet  robe  trimmed  with  sable,  and  a  starched  white 
ruff.  Around  him  wrere  the  members  of  the  Council  of  State,  in  velvet 
robes  and  white  ruff — men  of  influence — wealthy  burghers  of  the  Repub- 


HOW  BEAVER-SKINS  AND   TOBACCO  HELPED  OK  CIVILIZATION.       101 


lie.  A  door  opened,  and  Adriaen  Block,  witiijfehe -mdrcliarAs'froii ^Am 
sterdam,  entered. 

"  I  have  a  map  of  a  part  of  the  New  World  that  I  have  visited  to 
present  to  you,"  said  Captain  Block;  and  he  spread  upon  the  table  a  map 
showing  Hudson  River,  Long  Island,  the  Connecticut  River,  Block  Island, 
Narragansett  Bay,  and  all  the  shore  along  which  he  had  sailed.  Barne- 
veld  and  those  with  him  followed  his  finger  as  he  pointed  out  the  location, 
and  spoke  of  the  trade  that  might  be  opened  in  America  with  the  Indians. 

"  By-and-by  that  region  may  be  of  great  political  importance  to  the 
Dutch  Republic,"  said  Barneveld ;  and  the  men  around  him  assented. 

"We  are  here  to  obtain  a  special  license  to  open  trade  in  those  re 
gions,' 


JOHN    OF    BARNEVELD. 


The  Council  granted  their  request,  and  drew  up  a  paper  in  which  the 
country,  nameless  before,  was  called  New  Netherlands.     The  merchants 


102  '    OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

,    t .    ,    . . >  i      '     '    *  \  • 

were  to'  have  the  sole  privilege  of  trade  with  the  Indians  between  New 
foundland  and  Virginia. 

Hendrick  Christiansen  sailed  up  the  Hudson  River,  and  on  an  island 
just  below  Albany  built  a  log-house,  surrounding  it  with  a  palisade,  dig 
ging  a  moat,  mounting  two  cannon  and  eleven  small  guns  on  swivels,  and 
naming  it  Fort  Nassau.  He  made  friends  of  the  Indians,  and  filled  his 
vessel  with  beaver-skins. 

Hendrick  Christiansen  did  not  know,  while  he  was  building  the  fort, 
that  out  in  the  forest,  toward  the  setting  sun,  a  battle  was  raging,  which 
in  its  results  would  be  far  more  effective  than  his  cannon  in  preserving 
peace  with  the  Indians.  Before  seeing  the  battle,  we  must  go  back  a 
little. 

About  two  hundred  years  before  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot  discovered 
America,  a  young  man  in  the  town  of  Assisi,  in  France,  became  wild  on 
the  subject  of  religion.  He  had  strange  dreams,  and  heard  supernatural 
voices.  He  took  a  vow  to  be  a  beggar  all  his  life ;  thinking,  with  all 
other  monks  and  friars,  that  to  be  dirty,  wear  rags,  and  go  barefoot, 
was  a  sign  of  humility.  To  show  that  he  renounced  the  world,  he  strip 
ped  off  all  his  clothes,  wearing  only  a  mantle  around  his  loins.  The  peo 
ple  flocked  in  crowds  to  his  preaching.  He  was  so  much  of  a  fanatic 
that  he  went  out  into  the  fields  and  preached  to  the  ducks  and  geese, 
doves  and  sparrows.  He  took  the  name  of  St.  Francis ;  and  though  he 
called  himself  a  saint,  he  robbed  his  father  to  obtain  money  to  build  a 
church,  declaring  that,  as  the  object  was  good,  the  action  was  right.  Oth 
er  men  went  wild  with  religion,  and  to  show  their  humility  became  dirty 
and  wore  rags,  and,  instead  of  working,  begged  their  living.  They  went 
on  missions,  and  spread  themselves  over  all  the  world. 

In  May,  1615,  Samuel  Champlain,  with  four  priests  of  the  Order  of 
St.  Francis — Denis  Jamet,  Jean  Dolbean,  Joseph  le  Caron,  and  Pacific  du 
Plessis — landed  at  Quebec.  The  settlers  came  out  and  kneeled  as  they 
stepped  on  shore,  while  the  cannon  of  the  ship  and  fort  thundered  a  sa 
lute.  They  had  come  to  convert  the  Indians.  Jean  Dolbean  went  down 
the  north  shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  tell  the  Indians  of  that  region 
about  Christianity.  He  slept  in  their  wigwams,  which  were  so  full  of 
smoke  that  he  came  near  losing  his  sight,  and  returned  to  Quebec.  Jo 
seph  le  Caron  was  to  go  to  the  Hurons  around  the  upper  lakes. 

Samuel  Champlain  had  a  great  plan  ;  he  wanted  the  Indians  con 
verted,  but  he  desired  also  to  build  up  a  great  empire  in  America.  He 
was  a  statesman,  and  saw  that  if  he  could  establish  his  influence  over  the 
various  tribes,  the  vast  region  could  be  brought  under  the  dominion  of 


HOW  BEAVER-SKINS  AND   TOBACCO  HELPED  ON  CIVILIZATION.       103 

France.  Spain  had  already  acquired  Mexico,  Florida,  and  South  America  ; 
and  if  he  could  make  his  influence  supreme,  he  could,  in  time,  drive  out 
the  few  English  at  Virginia,  and  save  by  far  the  largest  portion  of  North 
America  for  France.  Grand  and  magnificent  the  ideal. 

There  was  a  great  gathering  of  tribes  at  Montreal  to  fight  the  Iro- 
quois.  The  gun  fired  by  Champlain  at  Ticonderoga  had  not  ceased  to 
reverberate.  The  defeat  of  the  Iroquois  in  that  battle  had  stirred  them 


GOING    TO    FIGHT    THE    IROQUOTS. 


to  fresh  endeavors,  and  every  year  they  had  carried  home  many  scalps 
from  Canada.     The  Indians  welcomed  Champlain. 

"  We  go  to  fight  our  enemies.     If  our  father  will  go  with  us,  we  will 
beat  them,"  they  said. 


104 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


There  were  twenty-five  hundred  warriors.  It  was  a  great  opportunity  ; 
by  going  with  them  and  fighting  their  battles,  Champlain  would  make  his 
influence  supreme.  He  accepted  their  invitation,  and  joined  them  with 


AGREEMENT    BETWEEN    THE    DUTCH    AND    IROQUOIS. 

twelve  soldiers.  The  route  was  up  the  Ottawa  River  to  Lake  Huron,  then 
south  through  a  chain  of  small  lakes  to  Lake  Ontario.  They  secreted  their 
canoes  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  lake,  and  then  marched  south  to  Lake 
Oneida,  capturing  seven  Iroquois  men  and  four  women.  The  Hurons 
held  a  great  dance,  and  then  put  their  prisoners  to  death. 

It  was  on  Octoher  10th  when  the  Hurons  reached  one  of  their  Iro 
quois  towns  on  the  shore  of  the  lake  not  far  from  Syracuse.  The  Iro 
quois  had  built  a  palisade  thirty  feet  high  around  it.  They  came  out  to 


HOW  BEAVER-SKINS  AND  TOBACCO  HELPED  ON  CIVILIZATION.      107 

fight,  but  were  greatly  astonished  when  they  heard  the  sound  of  guns, 
and  when  the  bullets  struck  them  down.  They  fled  inside  the  palisade. 
Champlain  set  the  Indians  at  work  building  a  tower,  and  in  a  short  time 
they  had  one  so  high  that  from  the  top  of  it  he  and  his  companions  could 
pick  off  the  Iroquois,  who  fought  bravely,  and  wounded  Champlain  with 
an  arrow.  "  Set  the  palisade  on  fire  !"  he  shouted. 

The  Hnrons  built  a  fire,  but  the  Iroquois  dashed  water  upon  the 
flames.  All  the  while  both  sides  kept  up  a  terrible  warwhoop.  Cham- 
plain  tried  to  direct  the  Hurons,  but  they  would  not  hear  him,  and  were 
finally  compelled  to  retreat,  with  several  killed  and  wounded. 

While  this  was  going  on,  Hendrick  Christiansen  was  trading  with  the 
Mohawk  Indians.  The  other  Iroquois  heard  of  it,  and  hastened  to  make 
friends  with  the  Dutch,  that  they  might  obtain  weapons  that  would  spit 
fire  and  kill  their  enemies.  They  met  the  Dutch  beneath  a  great  tree. 
The  Iroquois  chief  held  one  end  of  the  belt  of  peace,  and  the  Dutch  the 
other,  and  so  they  agreed  to  be  friends.  They  buried  a  hatchet,  and  the 
Dutch  said  they  would  build  a  church  upon  the  spot,  that  it  might  never 
be  dug  up. 

This  agreement  never  was  broken,  and  the  Iroquois  became  the  allies 
of  the  settlers  of  New  York,  in  all  the  conflicts  with  the  French  and  In 
dians,  till  the  English  became  masters  of  Canada,  one  hundred  and  forty- 
three  years  later. 

Captain  Argall  became  governor  of  Virginia  in  1618,  arid  issued  hard 
laws.  He  had  one  price  for  goods.  The  settlers  might  sell  tobacco  for 
three  shillings  a  pound ;  but  if  they  charged  more  or  took  less,  they  were 
to  be  sold  into  slavery  for  three  years.  No  man  could  hunt  a  deer  with 
out  permission  from  the  governor.  Any  person  staying  away  from  church 
on  Sunday,  or  on  holy  days,  was  to  be  tied  neck  and  heels  overnight, 
and  be  a  slave  for  a  week ;  for  the  second  offence  he  was  to  be  enslaved 
for  a  month  ;  the  third,  a  year. 

Many  of  the  settlers  were  little  better  than  slaves.  Men  who  were 
in  debt  in  England  were  sold  by  their  creditors.  Although  so  many 
of  the  settlers  were  scrapegraces  and  vagabonds,  King  James  thought 
there  was  room  for  more,  and  sent  over  one  hundred  thieves  and  rob 
bers.  He  appointed  Sir  George  Yeardly  governor,  who  found  things 
in  a  sorry  condition  upon  his  arrival.  The  houses  in  Jamestown 
were  tumbling  to  the  ground.  In  Richmond  there  were  only  three 
dwellings,  and  a  church  that  was  little  better  than  a  hovel.  There  were 
only  three  ministers  in  the  colony,  and  only  one  of  them  had  authority 
from  the  bishop  to  preach.  The  settlers  were  ground  down  by  the 


108 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


cruel  laws.     Men  were  flogged  and  had  their  ears  cut  off  for  very  slight 
offences. 

Sir  George  Yeardly  was  humane,  and  informed  the  people  that  they 
should  be  governed  by  the  laws  of  England.  The  company  of  planters 
had  all  power,  and  the  people  none.  He  proclaimed  that  the  people 
should  have  a  voice  in  government ;  that  there  should  be  a  general  assem 
bly  of  delegates  or  burgesses  from  each  borough,  who  were  to  be  elected 
by  the  inhabitants,  and  the  burgesses  were  to  make  all  needful  laws. 
They  assembled  at  James  City;  John  Pory  was  chosen  speaker.  A 
prayer  was  read,  and  the  first  Legislature  that  ever  assembled  in  the  New 
World  was  ready  to  proceed  to  business.  The  burgesses  accepted  the 


CULTIVATION    OF    TOBACCO. 


privileges  which  Governor  Yeardly  had  given  them  as  their  great  char 
ter.  The  Church  of  England  was  established  as  the  Church  of  the  col 
ony,  and  the  ministers  were  to  receive  the  value  of  two  hundred  pounds 
a  year,  to  be  paid  in  tobacco.  Laws  were  passed  against  idleness,  drunk 
enness  and  gambling.  If  people  wore  costly  clothes  they  were  to  be 
taxed  for  them ;  everybody  was  required  to  attend  church  twice  every 
Sunday;  and  everybody  who  owned  a  gun  was  to  carry  it, to  be  ready  to 
fight  if  attacked  by  the  Indians.  The  price  of  first  quality  tobacco  was 
fixed  at  three  shillings  per  pound  ;  second  quality,  half-price. 

It  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  state  of  affairs.  The  settlers  took 
heart,  and  built  good  houses.  Virginia  was  their  home.  There  were 
only  about  six  hundred  inhabitants ;  but  now  that  the  cruel  laws  were 
repealed,  and  the  rights  of  the  people  recognized,  there  were  thousands 


HOW  BEAVER-SKINS  AND   TOBACCO   HELPED   ON   CIVILIZATION.     109 


in  England  ready  to  emigrate.  In  twelve  months  twelve  hundred  and 
sixty-one  persons  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  find  new  homes  on  the  banks  of 
the  James. 

Sir  Edwin  Sandys  arid  the  Earl  of  Southampton  were  members  of  the 
London  Company.  They  were  large-hearted  men,  and  through  their  in 
fluence  the  company  granted  a  written  constitution  to  the  settlers.  The 
company  were  to  appoint  the  governor  and  his  council,  while  the  peo 
ple  were  to  elect  the  burgesses. 

There  had  been  so  many  wars,  and  so  many  men  had  been  killed  in 
battles,  that  there  were  far  more  women  than  men  in  England.  There 
were  very  few  women  in  Virginia ;  and  in  order  to  supply  the  settlers 
with  wives,  the  company  sent  out  a  ship-load  of  girls,  who  were  ready  to 
emigrate  for  the  sake  of  getting  husbands.  There  were  ninety  of  them. 
The  company  paid  the  cost  of  their  going ;  but  each  settler  must  pay  one 
hundred  and  twenty  pounds  of  tobacco  for  the  girl  whom  he  might  select. 
The  tobacco  was  reckoned  at  three  shillings  a  pound  ;  so  they  must  pay 
three  hundred  and  sixty  shillings  for  a 
wife,  which  they  were  ready  to  do,  and  in 
a  very  short  time  every  girl  was  provided 
with  a  husband.  Wives  were  in  such  de 
mand  that  sixty  more  girls  were  sent  out, 
and  the  price  raised  to  one  hundred  aijd 
fifty  pounds  of  tobacco. 

While  the  settlers  were  purchasing  their 
wives,  a  Dutch  ship  sailed  up  the  James 
with  sixteen  negroes  on  board,  which  were 
purchased  as  slaves  by  the  tobacco-raisers 
of  Jamestown.  It  was  the  beginning  of 
African  slavery  in  America. 

As  things  are  constituted  in  this  world, 
the  innocent  suffer  for  the  guilty.  In  Vir 
ginia  some  of  the  settlers  were  hard-work 
ing,  industrious,  and  thrifty,  doing  what 

they  could  to  build  up  the  colony ;  but  many  others  wrere  indolent,  shift 
less,  and  vicious.  Instead  of  working  for  a  livelihood,  they  stole  the 
corn  which  the  Indians  had  raised.  No  one  likes  to  be  plundered.  In 
civilized  society  robbers  are  put  into  prison ;  but  the  Indian  knows 
nothing  of  courts  of  law  or  jails ;  the  tomahawk  is  his  administrator  of 
justice. 

The  Indians  laid  a  plan  to  fall  upon  the  settlements  along  the  James, 


FIRST    SETTLEMENTS    ON    THE    CHESA 
PEAKE    AND    DELAWARE. 


HO  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

and  at  a  blow  finish  the  white  men  who  were  taking  their  land,  stealing 
their  corn,  and  driving  the  game  out  of  the  country. 

What  a  scene  the  sun  rose  upon  on  the  22d  of  March,  1622 !  Three 
hundred  and  forty -seven  massacred,  and  the  colonists  fleeing  to  James 
town  pursued  by  the  blood-thirsty  savages.  The  Indians  were  brave  to 
strike  blows,  but  fled  like  cowards  when  the  bullets  began  to  whistle 
about  their  ears. 

The  total  number  of  emigrants  had  been  nearly  four  thousand ;  some 
had  gone  back  to  England;  but  there  were  still  twenty -five  hundred 
people. 

A  ship  carried  the  news  to  England.  There  was  great  consternation. 
The  city  of  London  arid  gentlemen  of  fortune  contributed  money  to  pur 
chase  arms  to  send  to  the  colonists. 

"  You  must  roast  out  the  savages !"  was  their  message. 

There  were  brave  men  in  Virginia,  who  had  DO  thought  of  sitting 
down  and  wringing  their  hands.  George  Sandys,  Governor  Yeardly,  and 
Captain  Madigan  enlisted  men,  and  marched  into  the  Indian  country, 
burning  their  wigwams,  driving  them  from  their  hunting-grounds,  and 
giving  them  little  rest.  Notwithstanding  this,  the  colony  languished. 
The  shares  of  the  company  were  worthless.  The  members  were  at  log 
gerheads  with  each  other  and  with  the  king.  They  had  fierce  discussions 
in  their  meetings.  James  had  made  concessions  in  the  charter,  for  he 
saw  that  it  gave  the  colonists  some  rights  which  he  wished  to  recover. 
He  wanted  to  be  an  absolute  monarch,  and  ordered  the  judges  of  the 
court  to  take  measures  to  revoke  the  charter.  Under  such  a  state  of 
affairs,  the  colony  came  to  a  stand-still. 


THE  PLLGItlMS.  Ill 


CHAPTER  YIL 

THE   PILGRIMS. 

IN  England,  Holland,  France,  and  Germany  there  was  a  great  difference 
of  opinion  in  matters  of  religion.  Men  everywhere  were  thinking  for 
themselves,  instead  of  accepting  the  opinion  ot  pope,  bishop,  or  priest. 
In  England  the  people  were  nearly  all  Protestants;  in  France  the  ma 
jority  were  Catholics ;  in  Holland  they  were  nearly  equally  divided.  In 
England  the  Protestants  would  not  tolerate  anybody  who  did  not  accept 
the  Church  which  Henry  VIII.  had  set  up ;  in  France  the  Catholics  were 
ever  ready  to  persecute  the  Protestants ;  in  Holland  men  could  be  Catholic 
or  Protestant  as  they  pleased.  So  it  came  about  that  the  men  and  women 
of  Scrooby,  when  persecuted  for  separating  themselves  from  the  Church 
of  England,  and  meeting  in  William  Brewster's  house  on  Sunday  for  wor 
ship,  fled  to  Holland,  as  the  place  where  they  could  think  and  act  for 
themselves.  They  settled  at  Leyden,  working  hard  to  keep  the  wolf  from 
the  door.  They  were  industrious,  and  so  honest,  minding  their  own  busi 
ness,  that  the  Dutch  treated  them  with  great  respect.  Instead  of  fre 
quenting  the  beer-houses,  and  taking  part  in  the  Dutch  revelries,  they  re 
mained  quietly  at  home  when  their  days'  work  was  done ;  and  instead  of 
carousing  on  Sundays,  they  met  in  the  house  of  John  Robinson  for  wor 
ship.  They  used  no  praj^er-book,  nor  had  they  any  particular  form  of 
worship.  They  organized  themselves  into  a  Church  with  Christ  as  their 
head.  All  were  equal.  They  elected  their  deacons,  who  were  to  be  their 
servants.  It  was  a  Church  in  which  the  rights  of  every  person  was  re 
spected.  They  believed  that  Christ  and  the  apostles  organized  just  such 
churches ;  that  a  bishop,  instead  of  having  any  authority  to  rule  them, 
should  only  be  their  minister  or  servant;  that  they  had  authority  from 
Christ  to  rule  themselves.  Ruling  themselves!  Let  us  not  forget  it. 
When  men  rule  themselves  there  will  be  the  largest  freedom ;  they  will 
respect  the  rights  of  their  fellow-men,  for  only  by  so  doing  can  they  have 
their  own  rights. 

Through  all  the  centuries,  presbyters,  priests,  bishops,  and  popes  had 


112 


OLD   TIMES   IN   THE   COLONIES. 


ruled  in  religious  matters;  but  these  men  of  Scrooby  rejected  all  such 
authority,  and  made  their  declaration  to  the  world — 

The  people  alone  have  the  right  to  rule! 

Ten  years  passed.  No  one  molested  them  in  their  religious  opinions; 
none  disturbed  their  worship;  but  Holland  was  divided  into  two  great 
political  parties — Prince  Maurice  being  at  the  head  of  one,  and  John  of 
Barneveld,  before  whom  Captain  Block  laid  his  map  of  Hudson  River, 


DUTCH    REVEL. (FUOM    AX    OLD    PICTURE. ) 

and  of  the  coast  along  which  he  sailed  in  the  Otirust,  was  at  the  head  of 
the  other. 

James  of  England,  Louis  of  France,  and  Philip  of  Spain,  all  were  in 
terfering  in  the  affairs  of  Holland.  Civil  war  broke  out,  armies  were  on 
the  march,  and  the  whole  country  was  disturbed. 

It  was  a  terrible  scene  which  the  people  at  the  Hague  beheld  at  sun 
rise  on  May  13th,  1619-John  of  Barneveld,  seventy-two  years  old,  kneel- 


THE  PILGRIMS.  115 

ing  on  a  wooden  scaffold  in  front  of  the  Binnenhof.  All  the  morning 
the  drums  had  been  beating,  the  trumpets  sounding,  and  soldiers  march 
ing.  A  great  crowd  had  gathered.  The  old  man  drew  the  black  cap 
over  his  white  locks,  and  kneeled  with  his  face  toward  his  own  house,  a 
little  distance  away.  One  blow,  and  the  head  of  the  true-hearted  patriot 
rolled  upon  the  planks,  and  the  crowd,  scrambling  upon  the  scaffold, 
dipped  their  handkerchiefs  in  his  blood,  to  keep  as  souvenirs  of  his  death. 
So  Holland's  great  statesman  died,  at  the  hands  of  those  who  hated  him, 
because  he  was  so  great.  He  had  done  grand  things  for  his  country,  but 
intrigue,  political  faction,  and  jealousy  could  not  be  content  till  he  was 
in  his  grave. 

The  men  who  had  fled  from  Scrooby  to  find  a  home  in  Holland  loved 
peace.  They  stood  aloof  from  wrangling.  Their  true-hearted  pastor, 
John  Robinson,  taught  them  to  love  all  men.  They  could  find  no  com 
fort  amidst  such  scenes.  What  should  they  do?  The  question  confronted 
them.  They  could  not  go  back  to  England  without  conforming  to  the 
ritual  of  the  Church ;  that  they  would  not  do.  Why  not  emigrate  to 
America  ?  But  how  could  they  get  there  ?  They  were  poor.  William 
Brewster  was  trying  to  earn  a  living  by  working  in  a  printing-office ;  one 
laid  bricks,  another  was  a  carpenter;  one  was  a  blacksmith,  another  a 
tailor. 

They  learned  that  there  were  men  in  England  ready  to  help  them. 
The  Plymouth  Company  of  merchants,  who  had  obtained  the  grant  of 
land  between  Long  Island  and  Nova  Scotia,  wanted  the  country  settled. 
They  were  anxious  to  obtain  furs,  and,  as  they  were  ready  to  venture  their 
money,  were  called  "adventurers."  One  of  the  number  was  Thomas 
Weston,  of  London,  who  heard  that  the  Pilgrims  were  ready  to  go  to 
America,  and  went  to  Holland  to  see  them. 

"  I  will  help  you.  I  will  lend  you  money  and  obtain  ships,"  he  said, 
thinking  the  while  how  good  a  bargain  he  might  make. 

A  plan  was  agreed  upon.  The  "  adventurers  "  were  ready  to  supply 
money  and  ships;  the  Pilgrims  were  to  go  as  planters.  The  Pilgrims 
formed  themselves  into  a  company,  fixing  the  shares  of  stock  at  fifty  dol 
lars.  Every  settler  sixteen  years  old  was  to  be  equal  to  one  share.  Ev 
ery  man  who  furnished  an  outfit  worth  fifty  dollars  was  to  have  an  addi 
tional  share,  and  children  between  ten  and  sixteen  years  of  age  were  to 
be  counted  as  half  a  share.  All  the  settlers  bound  themselves  to  work 
together  for  seven  years,  their  labor  to  go  into  a  common  fund,  and  all  to 
be  supported  from  it.  At  the  end  of  that  period  the  property  was  to  be 
divided  according  to  the  shares.  For  seven  years  they  were  to  put  all 


116  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

their  hardships,  dangers,  and  work  on  an  equality  with  the  money  ad 
vanced  by  the  merchants,  who  would  thus  be  enabled  to  speculate  on  their 
toil.  The  conditions  were  hard,  yet,  for  the  sake  of  bringing  up  their 
children  in  the  principles  that  were  dearer  than  all  things  else,  they  would 
accept  them. 

On  the  22d  of  July,  1620,  the  Pilgrims  met  for  the  last  time  at  the 
house  of  John  Robinson  in  Leyden,  to  spend  the  morning  in  prayer,  and 
to  hear  the  parting  words  of  their  beloved  pastor.  After  the  sermon  they 
ate  together  and  sung  a  psalm.  Their  ship,  the  Speedwell,  was  lying  at 
Delftshaven,  fourteen  miles  from  Leyden,  whither  they  went,  accompa 
nied  by  their  pastor  and  friends,  and  where  they  spent  the  night.  Morn 
ing  came,  the  wind  was  fair,  and  the  captain  in  haste  to  be  gone.  They 
kneeled  upon  the  deck,  the  minister  offering  a  parting  prayer.  The  fare 
wells  were  spoken,  the  vessel  swung  from  her  moorings,  the  sails  caught 
the  breeze,  and  swept  them  out  upon  the  ocean  and  across  the  Channel  to 
Southampton,  where  the  Mayflower  was  waiting. 

"They  passed  the  frowning  towers  of  Breil, 
The  'Hook'  of  Holland's  shelf  of  sand, 
And  grated  soon  with  lifting  keel 
The  sullen  shore  of  Father-land." 

How  hard  it  is  to  tear  things  up  by  the  roots — to  leave  home,  friends, 
things  we  love,  around  which  our  affections  are  entwined !  It  was  not  a 
hard  thing  for  the  scapegraces  of  London  to  cross  the  Atlantic  in  search 
of  adventure  in  Virginia.  They  pulled  nothing  up  by  the  roots ;  they  had 
no  roots.  Gamblers,  spendthrifts,  vagabonds,  who  do  nothing  for  the 
world,  who  give  nothing  to  society,  never  can  have  any  roots. 

The  Pilgrims  were  exiles.  England  was  no  longer  their  home;  but 
their  friends  were  still  living  in  the  dear  old  land.  While  they  were  in 
Holland,  they  could  hear  from  them  often  ;  but  now  they  were  going  far 
away,  to  make  their  homes  in  the  wilderness.  Never  more  would  they 
gaze  upon  the  green  fields,  or  meet  face  to  face  those  most  dear;  but,  in 
obedience  to  their  convictions  of  what  was  true,  just,  and  right— of  what 
they  owed  to  God  rather  than  man— calmly  and  unflinchingly  they  could 
pull  all  up,  and  make  their  homes  in  the  wilderness. 

Thomas  Weston  was  at  Southampton.  He  was  a  grasping,  avaricious 
man,  and  wanted  to  change  the  agreement,  making  it  still  harder  for  the 
Pilgrims.  But  they  would  not  change,  whereupon  he  refused  to  pay  one 
hundred  pounds,  which,  according  to  agreement,  he  ought  to  pay. 

"  I'll  let  you  stand  on  your  own  legs !"  he  said,  and  left  them. 


THE  PILGRIMS. 


117 


The  Pilgrims  would  not  leave  England  with  a  debt  hanging  over 
them,  and  to  pay  it  sold  eighty  firkins  of  butter,  resolving  to  do  without 
butter  on  their  bread  rather  than  to  be  beholden  to  Weston,  or  in  debt  to 
any  man. 

They  were  men  who  loved  order.  They  knew  it  was  necessary  to 
have  some  one  in  authority  on  shipboard.  They  cast  their  votes  for  a 
governor,  electing  John  Carver.  Let  us  not  forget  that  they  elected  him. 
He  was  not  appointed  by  the  king,  but  chosen.  It  was  the  beginning  of 
a  new  order  of  things. 

The  ship  sailed  from  Southampton ;  but  almost  before  they  were  out 
of  the  harbor  the  Speedwell  was  found  to  be  leaking,  and  they  put  into 
Dartmouth  for  repairs.  Two  weeks  passed,  and  they  sailed  again  ;  but  the 
captain  of  the  Speedwell  declared  that  the  vessel  was  not  sea-worthy,  and 
they  put  into  Plymouth.  Some  of  the  Pilgrims  were  discouraged,  but 


DARTMOUTH. 


others  were  not.     They  had  no  money  to  obtain  another  vessel,  and  all 
who  were  anxious  to  go  crowded  into  the  Mayflower — one  hundred  in  all. 
Again,  on  the  16th  of  September,  they  bade  farewell  to  friends— to 
the  land  that  gave  them  birth,  from  which  they  had  been  exiled. 


118  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

"No  home  for  them  !  too  well  they  knew 

The  mitred  king  behind  the  throne : 
The  sails  were  set,  the  pennon  flew, 

And  westward  ho  !  for  worlds  unknown." 

On  the  21st  of  November,  1620,  the  Mayflower  dropped  anchor  in  the 
calm  waters  of  Provincetown  harbor,  Cape  Cod.  While  on  the  voyage, 
Mrs.White  gave  birth  to  a  babe,  whom  they  named  Peregrine. 


PROVINCETOWN. 


Among  the  men  sent  out  by  the  merchants  was  John  Billington  ;  he 
was  not  one  of  the  Pilgrims,  but  a  servant,  who  gave  out  word  that  he 
should  do  as  he  pleased  when  he  reached  land  ;  that  no  one  should  have 
any  authority  over  him,  for  John  Carver  had  no  commission,  nor  had  the 
Pilgrims  any  charter  from  the  king. 

The  Pilgrims  had  ruled  themselves  as  a  church,  but  had  been  subject 
to  the  laws  of  Holland ;  they  saw  that  they  must  organize  themselves 
into  a  State,  make  their  own  laws,  and  execute  them.  They  met  in  the 
jabin  of  the  Mayflower,  signed  their  names  to  a  paper,  organizing  as  a 
body  politic,  agreeing  to  obey  the  laws  which  they  might  make,  and  the 
governor  whom  they  might  elect. 

The  world  never  before  had  seen  such  a  paper.  It  was  a  constitution 
formed  by  the  people — the  beginning  of  popular  government. 

It  was  Saturday,  and  the  women  went  on  shore,  kindled  fires,  and 
washed  their  clothes.  At  night  they  returned  on  shipboard,  and  on  Sun 
day  prayed  and  sung  as  they  had  done  through  the  voyage. 

During  the  following  week,  Captain  Miles  Standish  and  sixteen  men 
marched  along  the  shores,  and  came  upon  some  Indians,  who  quickly  fled. 


THE  PJLGKIMS. 


121 


They  found  some  corn,  which  they  took,  intending  to  pay  the  Indians  if 
they  ever  saw  them. 

On  the  16th  of  December,  Captain  Standish  and  a  party,  with  Thomas 
Clark,  the  mate  of  the  vessel,  started  in  a  boat  to  find  a  suitable  place  to 
make  a  settlement,  camping  at  night  on  shore.  While  they  were  cooking 
their  breakfast  the  next  morning,  they  heard  a  strange  cry,  and  arrows 
fell  around  them  ;  but  a  volley  from  the  muskets  of  the  Pilgrims  put  the 
Indians  to  flight.  They  came  near  losing  their  lives  in  a  cold  storm,  but 
landed,  kindled  a  fire,  and  saved  themselves  from  freezing.  In  the  morn 
ing  they  discovered  that  they  were  on  an  island,  which  they  named 
Clark's  Island,  for  the  mate.  The  next  day  was  Sunday,  but  they  regard 
ed  it  as  holy,  and  remained  where  they  were.  On  Monday  they  pulled 
to  the  main-land,  climbed  a  high  hill,  and  beheld  a  charming  prospect. 
Under  the  brow  of  the  hill  was  a  brook  and  a  spring  of  fresh  water.  It 
was  so  delightful  that  they  decided  to  recommend  it  to  those  on  the  ship 


PLYMOUTH. 


as  the  place  for  the  building  of  their  town.  They  returned  to  the  vessel, 
and  on  Sunday,  William  Brewster,  whom  they  had  chosen  to  be  their 
minister,  preached  his  last  sermon  on  shipboard.  The  next  morning  the 


122  OLD  TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 

Mayflower  sailed  across  the  bay  and  came  to  anchor.  The  men  went  on 
shore  and  examined  the  place  once  more,  and,  after  praying  God  to  direct 
them  wisely,  took  a  vote  as  to  where  they  should  build  their  houses.  It 
was  the  first  town  meeting  ever  held  in  America.  The  majority  decided 
affairs,  and  the  new  State,  the  new  order  of  things — self-government — had 
begun. 

On  the  morning  of  the  22d  the  long-boat  of  the  ship,  filled  with  men, 
women,  and  children,  glided  over  the  still  waters  to  a  rock  that  made  a 
convenient  landing.  They  stepped  from  the  boat  upon  the  rock,  and  the 
new  State  was  in  possession  of  its  future  home. 

There  were  no  idlers  in  the  party.  All  hands  knew  how  to  work, 
and  labor  was  a  duty  which  they  owed  to  one  another  and  to  God.  They 
cut  down  the  trees,  split  them  into  planks,  and  built  a  house  for  the  stor 
ing  of  their  goods,  making  the  roof  flat,  and  mounting  their  cannon  upon 
it.  They  laid  out  a  street  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  and  built  their  houses, 
covering  them  with  thatch,  for  they  had  not  learned  to  peel  the  bark 
from  the  oak-trees  or  split  the  pines  into  shingles.  Death  came.  Degory 
Priest  was  the  first  to  be  laid  beneath  the  earth,  January  1st,  1621.  On 
Sunday,  January  14th,  the  thatch  on  their  common  house,  in  which  was 
stored  all  their  goods,  caught  fire,  and  they  had  hard  work  to  put  it  out; 
if  that  had  been  consumed,  quite  likely  they  would  have  been  compelled  to 
return  to  England,  or  else  would  have  perished.  On  the  29th  of  January 
a  great  grief  came  to  Captain  Standish.  His  beautiful  young  wife,  Hose, 
had  been  fading  day  by  day ;  the  hardships  were  too  great  for  her.  Pos 
sibly  she  pined  for  the  green  fields  and  pleasant  home  far  away.  She  had 
never  been  in  Holland,  but  joined  the  Pilgrims  at  Southampton.  But 
heaven  was  nearer  than  her  old  home.  With  tearful  eyes  and  swelling 
hearts  they  carried  her  to  the  burying-place  upon  the  hill,  and  made  this 
entry  in  their  journal,  mournful  in  its  briefness:  "Jan.  29,  Died,  Rose, 
wife  of  Captain  Standish" 

The  Pilgrims  were  greatly  surprised,  one  day,  at  seeing  an  Indian 
march  boldly  into  their  settlement  and  hear  him  say,  "  Welcome,  English 
men  !"  His  name  was  Samoset.  He  had  been  to  Pemmaquid,  to  Sir  Fer 
nando  Gorges's  colony.  The  Pilgrims  treated  him  kindly,  and  he  soon 
brought  another  Indian,  Squanto,  who  had  been  kidnapped  by  the  villain 
Hunt.  He  had  been  in  London,  and  could  speak  English.  Samoset  in 
formed  them  that  four  years  before  a  terrible  disease  had  destroyed  nearly 
all  the  Indians  in  that  region.  Massasoit,  the  chief  of  the  Indians,  came 
with  sixty  warriors.  Governor  Carver  sent  Edward  Winslow  to  meet 
him,  and  assure  him  of  the  friendship  of  the  Pilgrims.  Captain  Stand- 


THE   PILGKIMS. 


125 


ish,  with  six  men  carrying  their  guns,  escorted  the  chief  into  one  of  the 
houses,  and  spread  out  a  yellow  rug  and  cushion  for  a  seat.  The  gov 
ernor  came  in  state,  the  drummer  beating  his  drum,  the  trumpeter  blow 
ing  a  trumpet,  attended  by  all  the  soldiers  with  their  muskets.  The  gov 
ernor  and  chief  kissed  each  other's  hands,  then  they  ate  and  drank  to 
gether,  and  agreed  to  be  friends  forever.  Massasoit  never  broke  his 
pledge,  neither  did  the  Pilgrims  violate  theirs;  but  so  long  as  he  lived 
they  were  true  friends. 

Spring  came,  with  its  smiling  sun ;  but  of  the  one  hundred  and  one 
who  had  landed  in  December,  forty-six  were  at  rest  beneath  the  ground 
on  Burial  Hill,  with  the  earth  smoothed  over  them,  that  the  Indians  might 
not  count  the  graves  and  discover  how  many  had  died.  They  had  droop 
ed,  one  by  one,  through  the  hardships  of  the  long  passage  and  want  of 
food. 

The  Pilgrims  caught  fish  and  lobsters,  and,  when  the  tide  was  out, 
gathered  clams  along  the  sandy  beach.  From  the  mud-flats  they  obtain- 


PLYMOUTH    KOCK. 


ed  eels.  Now  and  then  they  killed  a  deer.  They  had  so  little  to  eat 
that  they  staggered,  through  faintness.  When  spring  came,  they  planted 
corn  upon  the  graves  of  the  dead,  that  the  Indians  might  not  discover 
where  they  had  been  buried. 

Through  these  months  the  Mayflower  had  been  swinging  at  anchor  in 
the  harbor,  but  the  time  had  come  for  the  departure  of  the  vessel. 

Though  everything  wore  so  gloomy  a  prospect,  though  they  were  so 
few  in  number,  and  death  was  thinning  their  ranks,  they  had  no  thought 
of  returning  to  England.  Many  months  would  pass  before  the  ship 
would  come  back,  and  none  but  God  knew  what  might  happen  the  while. 
The  vessel  might  go  down  in  mid-ocean,  and  then  their  friends  in  Eng 
land  never  would  hear  from  them. 


126  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

With  tearful  eyes  they  stood  upon  the  hill  above  the  graves  of  their 
loved  ones,  and  saw  the  white  sails  fade  away.  When  the  ship  disap 
peared,  they  went  calmly  about  their  work.  Their  destiny  was  fixed. 
It  is  well  for  the  world  that  such  heroic  souls  have  no  fear  of  the  future. 
They  might  die,  but  Truth  and  Liberty  were  eternal ! 

The  next  day  after  the  departure  of  the  Mayflower  their  beloved  gov 
ernor  was  suddenly  taken  ill,  his  sickness  ending  in  death.  But  the  State 
did  not  die.  The  people  elected  William  Bradford  as  his  successor.  A 
new  truth  dawned  upon  the  world — that  so  long  as  there  are  people  to 
rule  themselves,  there  will  be  a  State. 


FIRST   YEARS  AT   PLYMOUTH.  129 


CHAPTEK  VIII. 

FIRST  YEARS   AT  PLYMOUTH. 

"  nPHERE  can  be  no  lawful  marriage  without  a  priest  to  perform  the 
•*-  ceremony :  marriage  is  a  sacrament,"  said  the  Churches  of  Rome 
and  England.  But  the  men  and  women  who  had  established  themselves 
in  the  wilderness  at  Cape  Cod  rejected  all  ecclesiastical  authority.  Ed 
ward  Winslow  had  laid  his  beloved  wife,  Elizabeth,  down  to  sleep  on 
Burial  Hill,  and  Susanna  White,  with  two  children — the  youngest  born 
while  the  Mayflower  was  at  Cape  Cod — had  no  one  to  care  for  her :  why 
should  not  he  be  her  helper  and  husband?  "You  cannot  be  married 
without  a  minister,"  said  the  laws  of  England.  "We  will  be  married,  as 
were  Boaz  and  Ruth,  in  the  presence  of  the  people,"  said  the  Pilgrims. 

So  Edward  Winslow  and  widow  White  joined  hands  before  the  newly- 
elected  governor,  William  Bradford,  and  were  married. 

What  audacious  things  that  little  company  were  doing!  forming  a 
constitution  to  guide  them,  electing  their  own  officers,  ordaining  their 
own  minister,  marrying  themselves  without  the  aid  of  minister  or  priest. 
What  a  cutting  loose  from  the  customs,  traditions,  and  usurpations  of  the 


ages! 


They  had  no  laws  except  of  their  own  making,  based  on  their  sense 
of  Justice  and  Right.  No  edict  from  King  James  could  have  added  any 
thing  to  the  validity  of  their  laws;  nor  could  any  high  constable  make 
them  more  effective.  They  recognized  their  governor  as  head  of  the 
State,  and  entitled  to  honor  and  respect.  On  Sunday,  Captain  Standish, 
with  the  trumpeter,  drummers,  and  the  settlers  carrying  their  guns,  es 
corted  the  governor  to  meeting;  not  because  he  was  William  Bradford, 
but  because  he  represented  what  they  reverenced — law  and  order. 

When  gathered  in  their  little  meeting-house,  they  listened  with  great 
respect  to  William  Brewstcr's  preaching,  because  they  had  elected  him  to 
expound  to  them  the  truths  of  the  Bible.  William  Brewster  had  no  au 
thority  except  what  they  had  delegated  to  him :  he  was  their  minister, 
nothing  more. 
9 


13C 


OLD   TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 


Not  all  of  the  settlers  were  Pilgrims.  Stephen  Hopkins  had  two 
servants,  who  were  bound  to  him  for  a  term  of  years,  and  who  were  fool 
ish  enough  to  attempt  to  settle  a  quarrel  by  fighting  a  duel  with  swords, 


GOVERNOR  BRADFORD S  HOUSE. 


which  Governor  Bradford  looked  upon  as  a  crime  against  the  peace  and 
dignity  of  the  State.  He  made  the  whole  community  a  court,  and  it  was 
voted  that  the  two  be  tied  neck  and  heels  together  for  twenty-four  hours, 
with  nothing  to  eat  or  drink.  The  Pilgrims  could  tolerate  no  duels.  If 
they  were  quick  to  punish,  they  were  also  tender-hearted ;  for,  when  the 
offenders  had  endured  the  punishment  one  hour,  and  promised  to  behave 
themselves,  Governor  Bradford  ordered  their  release.  In  every  prison  in 
England  and  throughout  Europe  were  terrible  instruments  of  torture  de 
signed  to  inflict  pain  ;  but  reformation,  instead  of  pain,  was  the  Pilgrim's 
idea  of  punishment.  Governor  Bradford  was  no  milksop,  but  as  coura 
geous  as  he  was  tender-hearted. 

Canonicus,  one  of  the  Narragansett  Indians,  regarded  the  English  as 
intruders,  and  tied  the  skin  of  a  rattle-snake  around  a  bundle  of  arrows, 
and  sent  it  to  Governor  Bradford  as  a  declaration  of  his  hostility.  Gov- 


FIRST  YEARS  AT  PLYMOUTH.  131 

ernor  Bradford  filled  the  skin  with  powder  and  bullets  and  sent  it  back, 
which  so  frightened  Canonicus  that  he  would  not  touch  it,  and  it  was 
brought  back  to  the  settlement. 

Of  the  one  hundred  and  one  who  landed  from  the  Mayflower,  only 
fifty  remained  when  spring  opened.  The  Indians  knew  how  weak  they 
were,  for  nearly  every  day  some  of  the  Indians  came  to  see  them,  and 
were  always  kindly  treated. 

"  We  never  have  paid  the  Indians  for  the  corn  which  we  took  on 


EDWARD    WINSLOW. 


Cape  Cod,"  said  Governor  Bradford ;  and  to  make  amends,  and  cement 
the  friendship  that  had  sprung  up,  he  sent  Edward  Winslow  and  Stephen 
Hopkins  to  make  Massasoit  a  present. 


i32 


OLD  TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 


With  Sqnanto  to  guide  them,  they  travelled  through  the  wilderness 
forty  miles.  Massasoit  was  delighted  to  see  them.  Winslow  and  Hop< 
kins  saluted  him  by  firing  their  guns,  gave  him  a  red  coat  trimmed  with 


PLYMOUTH    WILDERNESS. 


lace,  and  put  a  copper  chain  around  his  neck.  Massasoit  gave  them  some 
corn  to  plant,  renewed  his  agreement  to  always  be  their  friend,  and  con 
firmed  it  by  smoking  the  pipe  ot  peace.  Massasoit  had  very  little  to  eat. 


FIRST    YEARS   AT   PLYMOUTH.  133 

Ilis  wigwam  was  swarming  with  fleas,  and  Winslow  and  Hopkins  were 
glad  enough  to  get  back  to  the  settlement. 

Squanto  taught  the  Pilgrims  how  to  plant  corn,  dropping  the  kernels 
in  a  hill  and  putting  in  a  herring  to  fertilize  it.  The  brooks  and  rivers 
were  alive  with  fish,  and  through  the  summer  they  had  sufficient  food, 
such  as  it  was.  Their  corn  and  barley  ripened ;  they  dried  the  fish  which 
they  caught ;  ducks  and  geese  reared  their  young  along  the  marshes ;  in 
the  woods  were  deer  and  wild  turkeys. 

Massasoit  came  one  morning  with  ninety  men  to  visit  the  Pilgrims. 
The  Indians  went  into  the  woods  and  killed  five  deer;  the  Pilgrims  con 
tributed  fish  and  corn,  and  for  three  days  they  held  a  feast,  giving  thanks  to 
God  for  all  his  goodness — the  first  Thanksgiving  in  the  Western  World. 

An  Indian  carne  to  the  settlement  with  the  startling  news  that  there 
was  a  vessel  across  the  bay,  in  the  harbor  at  the  end  of  the  Cape.  And 
now  from  the  hill  the  governor  could  see  the  white  sail ;  the  ship  was 
steering  toward  them.  Was  it  a  French  ship  ?  If  so,  it  was  an  enemy. 
The  settlers  were  out  in  the  fields  and  woods. 

"  Fire  a  cannon  to  call  them  home,"  was  the  order  of  the  governor. 

The  roar  of  the-  gun  echoed  along  the  shores,  and  the  men  and  boys 
seized  their  guns,  ready  to  fight  if  need  be.  Nearer  came  the  ship,  with 
the  banner  of  England  floating  at  the  mast-head.  It  was  the  Fortune, 
sent  out  by  the  London  merchants.  Robert  Cushman  and  some  of  their 
fellow-pilgrims  from  Holland  were  on  board ;  also  some  wild  fellows  who 
had  come  as  adventurers.  Instead  of  bringing  supplies,  of  which  the  set 
tlers  were  in  great  need,  there  was  not  food  enough  on  the  ship  to  last 
the  crew  on  their  return  voyage,  and  the  settlers  had  to  supply  them. 

Thomas  Weston,  who  thought  of  nothing  but  getting  great  interest 
on  his  money,  sent  a  letter  complaining  that 
the  settlers  had  not  sent  him  any  beaver-skins 
in  the  Mayflower. 

The  selfish  man  could  not  see  that  the 
Pilgrims  had  all  they  could  do  to  keep  soul 
and  body  together  during  the  first  dreary 
winter,  instead  of  hunting  beaver  and  catch 
ing  fish.  They  had  been  very  industrious, 
however,  so  that  they  were  able  to  load  the 
Fortune  with  lumber  and  furs  to  the  value  of  five  hundred  pounds. 

They  gave  the  Indians  knives,  beads,  trinkets,  fish-hooks,  and  blankets 
in  exchange  for  furs.  The  Indians  used  sea-shells  strung  upon  a  string 
for  money;  they  called  it  " wampum:"  its  value  depended  upon  the 


134  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

length  of  the  string.  It  was  easy  to  obtain  such  money,  and  its  value 
soon  declined. 

Christmas  came.  We  think  of  it  as  the  most  delightful  day  of  the 
year,  but  the  Pilgrims  associated  it  with  the  Church  of  Kome,  the  Jesuits, 
the  Church  of  England,  and  with  all  the  persecutions  they  had  endured. 
They  had  suffered  a  great  deal  at  the  hands  of  the  Bishop  of  England, 
who  made  Christmas  a  holy  day.  The  Pilgrims  did  not  so  recognize  it, 
and  went  on  with  their  work.  The  wild  fellows  that  came  in  the  Fort 
une  refused  to  work. 

"  It  is  against  our  conscience,"  they  said. 

"  If  it  is  a  question  of  conscience,  I  will  excuse  you,"  said  the  gov 
ernor. 

The  Pilgrims  went  out  into  the  woods,  attending  to  their  labor,  but 
when  the  governor  came  home  at  noon  the  new-comers  were  playing  ball, 
and  seeing  which  could  throw  an  iron  bar  farthest.  He  took  the  bar  and 
ball  away  from  them,  and  ordered  them  into  the  house. 

"  If  it  is  against  your  conscience  to  work  to-day,  it  is  against  my  con 
science  to  allow  you  to  play  while  others  work."  There  could  be  no 
fooling  with  such  a  governor. 

Those  plain  men  and  women  from  Scrooby  had  become  exiles  for  con 
science'  sake,  and  they  had  discovered  a  great  truth,  that  no  man  has  a 
right  to  control  another's  convictions  of  duty  and  obligations  toward  God. 
Popes,  bishops,  kings,  usurped  authority  over  men's  convictions ;  but  they 
recognized  the  right  of  every  man  to  think  for  himself  in  matters  of  re 
ligion,  with  due  regard  in  their  actions  to  the  rights  of  others.  Governor 
Bradford  respected  the  scruples  of  the  dissolute  fellows  who  came  in  the 
Fortune,  so  long  as  they  regarded  Christmas  as  a  holy  day  ;  but  when  they 
made  it  a  holiday,  and  began  a  carouse,  it  was  an  offence  against  the  con 
victions  and  rights  of  the  community  who  had  elected  him  their  gov 
ernor,  and  it  was  his  duty  to  put  a  stop  to  it.  It  was  the  rule  of  the  ma 
jority.  The  new  State,  with  no  authority  from  king,  bishop,  or  pope,  but 
from  the  people,  deriving  their  ideas  from  the  Bible,  recognizing  what 
was  just  and  right  between  man  and  man,  and  obligation  to  God,  emanci 
pating  itself  from  the  Past,  inaugurated  its  mighty  Future. 

Thomas  Weston,  thinking  that  there  was  a  chance  to  make  money  by 
fishing,  and  trading  with  the  Indians,  sent  out  forty  men  at  his  own  ex 
pense  to  make  a  settlement  at  Weyrnouth,  twenty  miles  north  of  Plym 
outh  ;  but  instead  of  attending  to  business  they  idled  their  time  away. 
When  their  provisions  failed,  they  stole  the  Indians'  corn. 

To  the  honest,  hard-working  men  at  Plymouth  that  was  not  only  an 


FIRST   YEARS  AT  PLYMOUTH. 


135 


offence  but  a  crime.  What  should  they  do  ?  Weymouth  was  outside  of 
their  grant,  and  they  had  no  jurisdiction  over  the  territory ;  but  if  the 
reckless  fellows  were  allowed  to  go  on,  would  not  the  Indians  rise  in 
their  anger,  and  destroy  them  all  ? 

If  they  had  no  authority  from  the  king  to  interfere,  they  had  the  au 
thority  which  God  gives  to  every  man — that  of  preserving  his  own  life. 

One  of  the  Indians,  Wituamit,  had  already  killed  two  white  men,  and 
was  planning  to  massacre  all  at  Plymouth  and  Weymouth.  Governor 
Bradford  ordered  Captain  Staridish  to  settle  matters.  He  was  a  small 
man.  He  had  fought  the  Spaniards  in  Holland,  and  was  not  afraid  of 


It  is  said  that  he 


KITCHKS    OF    STANDISH    HOUSE. 

Indians  or  anybody  else.     He  selected  eight  men. 
made  a  bowl  of  smoking-hot  punch  before  starting. 

"  'Twas  on  a  dreary  winter's  eve,  the  night  was  closing  dim, 
When  old  Miles  Standish  took  the  bowl  and  filled  it  to  the  brim ; 
The  little  captain  stood  and  stirred  the  posset  with  his  sword, 
And  all  his  sturdy  men-at-arms  were  ranged  about  the  board." 

Captain  Standish  and  his  men  sailed  out  of  Plymouth  harbor,  steered 
north  past  the  rocky  shore  of  Cohasset,  entered  Massachusetts  Bay,  and 


136 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


CAPTATN    STATTOTSH    STIRRING   THE    PUNCH. 


found  the  Sparrow — Mr.  Western's  vessel — at  anchor,  with  no  one  on 
board.  The  half- starved  men  were  wandering  along  the  beach  search 
ing  for  clams,  or  in  the  woods  digging  ground-nuts.  They  were  very 
much  frightened  when  informed  of  the  plans  of  the  Indians  to  kill  them 
all.  The  Indians  sent  a  challenge  to  Captain  Standish  through  Hobba- 
moc,  a  friendly  Indian  who  lived  with  the  Pilgrims. 

"  Tell  the  captain  that  we  are  not  afraid  of  him !"  they  said,  ready 
for  a  fight. 

Captain  Standish  gave  them  all  the  fighting  they  wanted.  He  ran 
his  sword  through  Teoksuat  and  Wituamit.  His  men  killed  another,  and 
hung  a  fourth.  In  all,  seven  Indians  were  killed,  and  their  conspiracy 
was  nipped  in  the  bud.  It  was  the  sword  against  the  tomahawk.  The 
victory  struck  the  Indians  with  terror. 


FIRST  YEARS   AT   PLYMOUTH.  137 

The  Pilgrims  supplied  Western's  men  with  food,  and  sent  them  back 
to  England. 

Captain  Wollaston  made  a  settlement  not  far  from  Mr.  Weston's. 
One  of  the  colonists  was  Thomas  Morton,  a  lawyer  from  London,  who 
came  to  America  to  enjoy  unrestrained  license  where  no  justice  of  the 
peace  could  reach  him.  The  forty  men  who  accompanied  him  were  as 
reckless  as  himself.  They  sold  the  Indians  rum,  guns,  and  ammunition. 
They  set  up  a  pole  eighty  feet  high,  with  deer-horns  on  the  top,  hanging 
garlands  around  it  on  the  first  day  of  May,  holding  a  grand  revelry, 
drinking  rum,  firing  their  guns,  and  dancing  with  the  half-naked  Indian 
women.  They  called  the  place  Merry  Mount. 

Such  revelry  was  an  offence  to  the  staid  and  sober  people  at  Plym 
outh.  Governor  Bradford  sent  a  remonstrance  to  Morton;  but  what 
cared  the  London  lawyer  for  that?  He  was  beyond  the  reach  of  courts  of 
justice,  and  would  carouse  as  he  pleased.  He  was  outside  of  Governor 
Bradford's  territory  and  jurisdiction ;  besides,  who  was  Governor  Brad 
ford  ?  He  had  no  commission  from  the  king  or  anybody  else;  he  was 
only  elected  by  the  people.  The  people !  they  had  no  authority !  Ah  ! 
a  new  order  of  things  was  beginning  in  human  government,  as  Thomas 
Morton  soon  discovered.  Captain  Standish  and  a  little  handful  of  reso- 


8TANDISHS    SWORD,   AND   THE    BARREL   OF    THE    GUN    WITH    WHICH    PHILIP    WAS    KILLED. 

lute  men  from  Plymouth  made  their  appearance  at  Wollaston.     Morton's 

men  were  in  a  log-house.     It  was  strong  as  a  fort ;  they  had  plenty  of 

5* 


138  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

powder,  and  three  hundred  bullets.  They  took  a  drink  of  rum,  and  stood 
ready  to  pick  off  the  little  captain  and  his  men  whenever  they  should 
make  their  appearance.  The  man  who  had  fought  the  Spaniards,  who 
had  cut  off  Wituamit's  head  and  carried  it  in  triumph  to  Plymouth,  was 
not  at  all  afraid  of  the  swaggering  lawyer  and  his  drunken  crew. 

"  Surrender,  or  I  will  burn  the  house  down  over  your  heads!"  he  said. 

Why  did  not  Thomas  Morton  bring  his  gun  to  his  shoulder  and  put  a 
bullet  through  Miles  Standish  ?  Why  did  not  the  drunken  crew  riddle 
him  in  an  instant  ?  Because  they  were  cowards,  and  because  they  were 
confronted  by  law  and  order.  Through  all  ages  people  had  called  the 
king  "Nis  Majesty,"  but  now  the  people  themselves  were  Majesty,  ex 
ercising  authority,  and  able  to  deal  summarily  with  Thomas  Morton  or 
anybody  else. 

Did  Thomas  Morton  fire  ?  Oh  no ;  he  opened  the  door,  became  as 
meek  as  a  lamb,  was  marched  down  to  Plymouth,  and  packed  off  to 
England. 

Captain  Standish  had  laid  his  beautiful  young  wife,  Eose,  down  to 
sleep  on  Burial  Hill,  but  why  should  he  live  alone?  Why  riot  make  that 
sweet  girl,  Priscilla  Mullens,  Mrs.  Standish  ?  There  were  wrinkles  on  his 
brow;  the  crows'-feet  were  gathering  in  the  corners  of  his  eyes;  he  had 
seen  hard  service,  been  in  many  a  battle  ;  his  hair  was  turning  gray.  Pris 
cilla  was  young  and  fair;  perhaps  she  might  say  " No."  He  thought  that 
it  would  be  better  to  get  bashful  John  Alden,  who  was  about  Priscilla' s 
age,  to  open  the  matter  to  her. 

"Why  don't  you  speak  for  yourself,  John  ?"  said  Priscilla. 

So  it  came  about  that  Priscilla,  instead  of  going  over  to  the  hill  on 
the  other  side  of  the  bay,  to  be  mistress  of  Captain  Standish's  house, 
became  Mrs.  John  Alden.  William  Bradford — governor,  not  a  minister 
but  a  magistrate — bade  them  join  hands,  pronounced  them  husband  and 
wife ;  and  we  may  believe  that  they  could  not  have  been  any  happier  if 
a  bishop  had  conducted  the  ceremony. 

The  settlers  of  Plymouth  had  been  knocked  about  so  much  that  few 
of  them  had  had  any  time  to  acquire  knowledge.  All  could  read.  All 
who  signed  the  agreement  in  the  cabin  of  the  Mayflower  wrote  their 
names  in  full.  William  Bradford,  William  Brewster,  and  Edward  Wins- 
low  could  speak  several  languages. 

"  We  have  no  common  school  for  want  of  a  fit  person,  or  means  to 
maintain  one,  though  we  desire  now  to  begin,"  wrote  William  Bradford 
in  1624. 

They  were  poor ;  were  bound  by  a  hard  bargain  to  the  London  mer 


FIRST  YEARS  AT   PLYMOUTH.  139 

chants.  Half  their  number  had  died.  They  had  their  houses  to  build, 
their  corn  to  plant ;  everything  to  do,  with  none  to  lend  a  helping  hand. 
Instead  of  being  helped,  twice  they  had  to  supply  Mr.  Weston's  ship 
and  his  starving  men  with  provisions,  and  to  take  care  of  the  sick  left  on 
their  hands.  How  could  they  support  a  school  ?  The  mothers  taught  the 
children  what  they  could;  but  children  worked.  There  were  no  drones 
in  the  hive. 

As  the  years  went  on,  some  of  the  settlers  crossed  the  bay  and  settled 
Duxbury.  Miles  Standish  built  his  house  there.  Edward  Winslow  went 
farther  north.  The  settlements  together  were  known  as  the  "  Old  Col 
ony."  They  were  kind  to  the  Indians,  treating  them  fairly  when  buying 
their  beaver-skins,  and  the  Indians  treated  them  kindly  in  return. 


AUTOGRAPHS    OF    SOME    OF   THE    PILGRIMS. 


These  were  the  rules  which  the  Pilgrims  hung  up  in  their  houses  to 
guide  them  in  the  affairs  of  life : 

"Profane  no  Divine  ordinance.  Touch  no  State  matters.  Urge  no 
healths.  Pick  no  quarrels.  Encourage  no  vice.  Repeat  no  grievances. 
Reveal  no  secrets.  Maintain  no  ill  opinions.  Make  no  comparisons. 
Keep  no  bad  company.  Make  no  long  meals.  Lay  no  wagers." 


HO 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


In  what  other  age  has  there  been  such  seed  sowing?  What  will 
come  of  it?  What  sort  of  institutions — what  civilization — what  good  to 
the  world  will  spring  up  from  such  seed-corn  ?  Time  will  show. 


THE    PILGRIM    MONUMENT,   PLYMOUTH. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE,  NEW  YORK,  AND  CANADA. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE,  NEW  YORK,  AND  CANADA. 


John  Mason  and  Sir  Fernando  Gorges  obtained  a  grant 
of  land  extending  from  the  Kennebec  River  to  the  Merrimac,  which 
they  called  Laconia.     Captain  Mason  took  the  section  between  the  Pis- 


MOUTH    OF    THE    PISCATAQUA — WHALE  S-BACK    LIGHT. 


142  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

cataqua  and  the  Merrimac,  extending  sixty  miles  inland,  and  named  it 
New  Hampshire.  David  Thompson,  and  Edward  and  William  Hilton, 
came  to  make  settlements  and  carry  on  the  fishing  business.  Mr.  Thomp 
son  built  a  house  not  far  from  the  Piscataqua,  and  called  the  place  Little 
Harbor.  He  laid  off  a  tract  of  a  thousand  acres  for  Captain  Mason,  who 
intended  to  build  a  great  manor-house,  and  live  there  like  an  English  lord. 

Edward  and  William  Hilton  went  up  the  Piscataqua  ten  miles,  and 
built  their  houses  at  Dover :  they  set  their  nets  in  the  stream,  caught  shad 
and  salmon,  sailed  down  the  river  to  a  ledge  of  rocks  called  the  Whale's 
Back,  made  trips  to  the  Isle  of  Shoals,  or  coasted  along  the  sandy  beaches 
to  the  Merrimac.  They  reared  their  houses  in  1623,  and  were  the  first 
settlers  in  New  Hampshire. 

While  the  Hiltons  were  building  their  houses  on  the  Piscataqua,  a  lum 
bering  Dutch  vessel  was  sailing  from  Amsterdam  with  a  company  of  men, 
women,  and  children,  who  were  looking  for  the  last  time  upon  a  city  that 
had  given  them  refuge  during  days  of  bitter  persecution.  Who  were 
they  ?  Years  before,  when  the  Jesuits  were  burning  thousands  of  heretics 
in  the  country  along  the  Rhine,  the  fathers  of  these  men  and  women  left 
their  homes,  abandoned  their  vineyards  along  the  Rhine  and  Moselle,  and 
fled  to  Holland  for  refuge.  They  called  themselves  Walloons. 

The  merchants  of  Amsterdam,  who  were  with  Captain  Block  when  he 
exhibited  his  map  to  John  Barneveld,  and  who  had  been  sending  their 
ships  to  America,  were  incorporated  as  "the  West  India  Company." 
Their  capital  was  $2,500,000.  Their  charter  gave  them  all  the  land  they 
could  obtain  in  America,  with  power  to  build  war-ships,  appoint  govern 
ors,  raise  armies,  and  take  any  steps  they  pleased  to  help  on  their  trade. 
They  were  made  a  great  and  powerful  corporation.  Spain  and  Holland 
were  at  war,  and  the  company  sent  out  its  armed  ships  to  plunder  the 
Spanish  towns  in  the  West  Indies  arid  South  America.  They  captured 
so  many  ships  laden  with  gold  and  silver,  that  in  a  short  time  their 
$2,500,000  became  $6,000,000. 

The  company  did  not  wish,  however,  to  carry  on  war,  but  to  purchase 
furs  of  the  Indians.  The  beads,  bits  of  looking-glass  and  tin,  the  bright- 
colored  blankets  and  knives  which  the  Indians  wanted,  cost  but  little, 
while  the  furs  obtained  for  them  were  of  great  value. 

The  ship  New  Netherlands,  commanded  by  Cornelius  May,  was  fitted 
out,  and  thirty  families  of  Walloons  bade  farewell  to  Holland.  The  ship 
entered  Hudson  River;  eight  families  landed  on  Manhattan.  Some 
of  them  went  up  the  river,  and  built  a  new  fort  at  Albany,  which  they 
named  Fort  Orange. 


SETTLEMENT   OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE,  NEW   YORK,  AND   CANADA.      U3 

Peter  Minuet  was  appointed  Governor  of  New  Netherlands.  On  a 
bright  May  morning  he  met  the  Indians  for  a  trade.  He  wanted  the  isl 
and  of  Manhattan  ;  while  they  wanted  the  buttons,  beads,  and  trinkets 
which  he  displayed  before  their  longing  eyes.  The  bargain  was  made,  and 
for  twenty-four  dollars  he  obtained  the  island  of  Manhattan. 

Having  purchased  the  island,  he  set  Krym  Frederick  to  building  a 
battery,  upon  which  were  planted  several  cannon  pointing  down  the 
harbor,  with  a  palisade  protecting  the  rear,  naming  it  Fort  Amsterdam. 
He  built  a  stone  house,  thatched  it  with  grass  and  rushes,  in  which  the 


LANDING    OF    THE    WALLOONS. 


goods  were  stored.     More  vessels  came  with  Walloons,  and  by  midsum« 
mer  Manhattan  contained  thirty  houses. 

It  was  an  Old  World  and  an  old  time  idea  that  men  must  be  governed 
by  force — by  the  fear  of  punishment.  The  idea  had  not  dawned  upon 
rulers  that  men  would  obey  laws  because  laws  were  good.  The  trouble 
was  that  the  laws  were  not  always  good ;  that  they  were  often  made  not 
for  the  people  but  in  the  interest  of  the  rulers,  who  looked  upon  people 
as  their  subjects.  Instead  of  ruling  by  just  and  equitable  laws,  rulers 
endeavored  to  force  men  to  obedience.  To  this  end  Governor  Minuet 
erected  stocks  and  pillory  in  the  square  at  Manhattan. 


144 


OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


MANHATTAN. 


The  grain  which  the  Walloons  sowed  on  the  cleared  patches  of  ground 
grew  luxuriantly,  and  they  reaped  a  grand  harvest  of  wheat,  rye,  oats, 
barley,  and  beans. 

The  "Walloons  appointed  two  of  their  number  as  "  comforters  to  the 
sick,"  and  who  read  the  Bible  and  led  their  prayers  on  Sunday. 

Peter  Minuet  lived  in  state,  with  three  negro  slaves  to  wait  upon 
him.  One  day  the  negroes  met  an  Indian  in  the  woods  with  a  lot  of 
beaver-skins.  A  thought  came  to  them  :  why  not  seize  his  skins  ?  They 
had  been  stolen  from  Africa  by  the  white  men,  and  were  in  slavery. 
Might  they  not  plunder  the  heathen  Indian  ?  They  fell  upon  him,  and 
in  the  melee  the  Indian  was  killed ;  but  his  nephew,  a  little  boy,  saw  the 
clubs  smash  his  uncle's  skull. 

"  I  shall  have  my  revenge !"  he  said  to  himself,  as  he  fled  through  the 
woods. 

The  West  India  Company  voted  that  any  member  who  would  send 
fifty  adults  to  New  Netherlands  should  have  sixteen  miles  of  land  along 


ON    THE    DELAWARE. 


SETTLEMENT   OF   NEW   HAMPSHIRE,  NEW    HJliK,  AND   CANADA.      145 


the  Hudson  River,  extending  back  into  the  country  without  limit,  and 
they  were  to  have  the  title  of  Patroon,  or  Feudal  chief.  They  were  to 
pay  no  taxes  for  ten  years ;  the  settlers  were  to  be  serfs ;  the  Patroons 
were  to  have  the  exclusive  right  of  trade,  except  in  furs.  The  wives  of 
the  serfs  were  not  to  spin  any  yarn,  weave  any  cloth,  or  manufacture  any 
hats ;  but  the  company  and  the  Patroons  were  to  have  all  the  profits  on 
the  sale  of  goods  upon  which  they  could  fix  their  own  prices. 

Samuel  Godyn  and  Samuel 
Bloomaert  having  turned  over  the 
scheme  before  its  adoption,  sent  a 
trusty  agent  to  prospect  the  coun 
try,  who  selected  a  beautiful  re 
gion  on  the  south  side  of  Dela 
ware  Bay,  near  Cape  Ilenlopen. 
A  company  sent  out  by  the  two 
burghers  began  a  settlement — the 


ESPLANADE    HILL.    QUEBEC. 

first  in  the  State  of  Delaware.  Gillis  Hosset  was  governor.  He  nailed 
a  glittering  piece  of  tin  upon  a  tree,  representing  the  sovereignty  of  Hol 
land.  It  shone  so  brightly,  that  one  of  the  Indians  tore  it  down  and  cut 
it  into  strips  for  jewellery.  Gillis  Hosset,  not  reflecting  that  the  Indians 
were  like  children,  that  they  knew  nothing  of  its  meaning,  regarded  it  as 
an  insult  and  outrage,  and  put.  the  Indian  to  death. 
10 


14:6  OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

The  Dutchmen  had  a  great  bull-dog,  of  which  the  Indians  were  very 
much  afraid,  as  the  dog  always  showed  his  teeth  and  growled  at  them. 
One  day,  when  all  the  colonists  except  two  were  in  the  field  at  work,  a 
company  of  Indians  came  with  beaver-skins  as  if  to  open  trade,  but,  watch 
ing  their  opportunity,  buried  their  hatchets  in  the  heads  of  two  men  at 
the  trading-house,  shot  twenty-five  arrows  into  the  dog,  set  the  buildings 
on  fire,  went  into  the  fields  and  killed  all  the  others;  thus  wiping  out  the 
settlement. 

It  was  in  1615  that  Samuel  Champlain  set  himself  to  work  to  build 
up  the  empire  of  New  France ;  years  had  passed,  and  instead  of  an  em 
pire  there  was  only  a  settlement. 

At  Quebec  there  was  the  house  which  he  had  built  in  1615,  and  close 
by  were  the  stores  which  the  traders  had  built,  and  around  which  In 
dians  were  ever  loitering,  looking  with  longing  eyes  upon  the  blankets 
and  trinkets,  knives,  little  mirrors,  and  tinkling  bells,  which  they  could 
only  obtain  with  skins  of  the  beaver,  marten,  sable,  fox,  and  other  animals. 

There  was  one  other  building,  the  chapel  of  the  friars,  with  its  sweet- 
toned  bell  tolling  for  mass  or  vespers.  Within,  on  the  walls,  were  pict 
ures  portraying  in  bright  colors  the  torments  of  hell  and  the  bliss  of 
heaven.  Overlooking  all,  upon  the  cliff,  was  the  fort,  and  around  it  fields 
and  gardens. 

The  whole  French  population  was  only  about  fifty ;  they  were  all  fur- 
traders  or  friars.  Some  of  the  fur-traders  were  Catholics,  some  Hugue 
nots.  The  king  had  forbidden  the  Huguenots  from  holding  meetings  in 
New  France ;  but  the  king  was  far  away,  and  the  Huguenots  sung  and 
prayed,  which  gave  great  offence  to  the  friars. 

The  company  had  forbidden  all  trade  with  the  Indians,  except  by 
their  permission ;  but  there  were  sailors  on  shipboard,  and  citizens  who 
traded  on  the  sly,  to  the  great  vexation  of  the  regular  traders.  There 
was  constant  irritation — everybody  picking  at  everybody. 

The  Duke  de  Montmorenci  paid  eleven  thousand  crowns  for  the 
privilege  of  being  Viceroy  of  Canada.  The  river,  which  pours  over  a 
high  precipice  just  below  Quebec,  and  down  which  the  people  of  the 
city  glide  on  sleds  and  sledges  in  winter,  enjoying  royal  sport,  bears  his 
name.  He  appointed  Champlain  governor.  There  was  so  much  trouble 
between  the  fur-traders  of  St.  Malo  and  Rouen,  that  Montmorenci  with 
drew  their  privileges  and  appointed  two  Huguenots— William  and  Emery 
de  Caen — to  manage  the  fur-trade,  which  was  only  jumping  from  the  fry 
ing-pan  into  the  fire.  The  old  fur-traders  refused  to  give  up  the  privi 
leges  by  which  they  were  growing  rich.  They  quarrelled  with  the  new- 


SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE,  NEW  YORK,  AND  CANADA.       1±7 

comers.  The  friars  joined  with  them.  Huguenots  control  the  trade 
with  the  Indians?  Never!  One  of  the  friars  hastened  to  France.  The 
Jesuits  there  were  powerful.  They  besieged  the  king,  who,  to  make 
peace,  allowed  both  parties  to  trade. 

The  young  Duke  de  Montmorenci,  weary  of  being  vice-king  of  a 
country  which  contained  only  one  little  miserable  village,  sold  out  his 


FALLS    OF   MONTMORKNCI. 


title  to  the  Duke  de  Ventadour,  his  neighbor,  who  was  so  religious  that 
he  had  turned  his  back  on  the  gay  court  at  Fontainebleau,  bade  farewell 
to  all  the  vanities  of  the  world,  became  a  Jesuit  priest,  and  set  himself 


148  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

to  make  New  France  a  country  in  which  the  Jesuits  should  have  full 

control. 

Charles  Lalemant,  M.  and  Jean  de  Brebeuf,  obeying  the  order  of  their 
superior,  sailed  for  Canada.  A  little  later,  Fathers  Noirot  and  De  la  None 
landed  at  Quebec. 

The  two  Huguenot  traders  were  singing  and  praying  in  public,  and 
the  sailors,  and  some  of  the  laborers  which  the  Jesuits  had  taken  over, 
flocked  to  hear  them. 

"  There  shall  be  no  more  psalm-singing  by  Huguenots,"  was  the  order 
sent  over  by  the  Jesuit  viceroy.  Champlain  could  stop  their  singing,  but 
not  their  praying. 

A  great  man  was  wielding  affairs  in  France — Cardinal  Richelieu — who 
saw  that,  to  build  up  an  empire  in  the  New  World  to  checkmate  England, 
vigorous  measures  must  be  adopted.  He  founded  the  company  of  "  New 
France,"  composed  of  one  hundred  of  the  dukes,  marquises,  and  noblemen 
of  France,  with  merchants  and  ministers.  He  placed  himself  at  the  head. 
The  king  gave  them  the  whole  of  America,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to 
the  Arctic  Sea — from  Newfoundland  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  They  were 
to  have  the  monopoly  of  the  fur- trade  forever.  Already  the  Indians 
were  crossing  from  the  waters  of  the  Far  West,  bringing  twenty-five 
thousand  beaver-skins  per  annum  to  Quebec.  The  company  was  to  have 
control  of  all  traffic  for  fifteen  years.  The  king  gave  the  company  two 
ships  of  war,  armed  and  equipped.  The  company  made  this  stipulation, 
that  every  person  settling  in  New  France  was  to  be  a  Catholic.  None 
of  the  hated  Huguenots  were  to  be  allowed  to  enter. 

Perfect  the  plan  for  building  up  an  empire  in  which  there  should  be 
no  heresy,  but  where  everybody  would  owe  allegiance  to  the  Pope,  and 
where  the  Jesuits  would  have  complete  control  of  the  consciences  of  men. 
We  think  our  plans  perfect,  and  so  they  may  be,  so  far  as  we  are  concern 
ed  ;  but  there  are  other  plans  than  ours.  No  one  plan  can  be  independent 
of  all  others ;  but  on  the  contrary  our  plans  are  constantly  interfered  with. 
Richelieu  and  the  Jesuits  had  their  plans.  Charles  I.  of  England  and 
the  Duke  of  Buckingham  had  theirs.  Richelieu  undertook  to  put  down 
the  Huguenots ;  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  tried  to  sustain  them.  War 
broke  out  between  the  two  countries.  A  Scotchman — William  Alexan 
der — had  tried  to  establish  a  colony  in  Newfoundland,  and  he  put  it  into 
the  head  of  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  to  send  a  fleet  up  the  St.  Law 
rence  to  seize  Quebec.  David  Kirk,  a  Huguenot,  who  had  been  driven 
from  France,  was  appointed  commander  of  a  fleet  which  sailed  up  the 
river  and  appeared  before  Quebec.  Champlain  could  make  no  resistance, 


SETTLEMENT   OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE-,  NEW  YORK,  AND   CANADA.      151 

and  was  compelled  to  see  the  flag  of  France  give  place  to  that  of  England 
on  the  fort  at  Quebec. 

For  the  moment  all  the  plans  of  Richelieu  and  the  Jesuits  were  upset ; 
but  when  peace  was  brought  about,  the  King  of  England  gave  up,  and  the 
Jesuits  and  French  began  once  more  to  build  up  an  empire  in  America. 


t52  OLD  TIME£  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE   PURITAN   BEGINNING. 

ON  March  25th,  1625,  James  died,  and  Charles  I.  became  King  of  Eng 
land.  He  thought  that  he  could  strengthen  himself  by  marrying 
the  sister  of  the  King  of  France,  Henrietta  Maria,  a  young  girl  who  had 
played  in  the  garden  of  the  old  palace  of  Fontainebleau,  but  who  knew 
very  little  about  England  or  the  English  people.  She  was  only  fifteen, 
while  Charles  was  old  enough  to  be  her  father.  Charles  met  her  at  Do 
ver.  She  was  at  breakfast  when  he  arrived,  but  came  down-stairs,  kneeled 
at  his  feet,  intending  to  say,  u  Sir,  I  have  come  to  be  commanded  by  you," 
but  was  so  frightened  she  could  not  recall  a  word,  and  was  so  mortified 
that  she  covered  her  face  with  her  hands  and  burst  into  tears;  but  the 
king  raised  her  to  her  feet  and  kissed  them  away. 

Henrietta  was  a  Catholic,  and  brought  with  her  a  bishop,  thirty  priests, 
and  a  great  company  of  French  cooks,  servants,  chamber-maids,  and  hang 
ers-on — in  all,  about  four  hundred  persons.  She  established  the  mass  in 
her  own  chapel,  which  gave  great  offence  to  the  people,  who  had  not  for 
gotten  the  efforts  of  Bloody  Mary  to  establish  popery.  The  hatred  of 
the  Puritans  to  the  Pope  was  so  intense  that  they  would  not  observe 
Christmas ;  the  custom,  so  beautiful  and  delightful  to  us,  of  adorning  our 
homes  with  evergreens  whenever  the  day  comes  round,  they  denounced 
as  idolatrous. 

When  a  man  deliberately  sets  himself  to  do  as  he  pleases,  without  any 
regard  for  the  rights  of  other  men,  he  is  pretty  sure  to  find  trouble. 
Charles  attempted  such  a  course  of  action,  and  found  trouble  enough. 
That  determination  of  his  started  a  train  of  events  which  have  been  of 
far-reaching  influence  upon  the  history  of  our  country.  We  can  only  fol 
low  a  few  of  them. 

There  was  no  written  constitution,  nor  is  there  now  a  written  con 
stitution  in  England;  but  from  time  to  time  laws  were  passed  in  accord 
ance  with  customs  which  former  kings  had  respected,  so  that  by  usage  it 
was  understood  that  the  king  could  not  collect  taxes  without  the  consent 


CHRISTMAS. 


THE   PURITAN  BEGINNING. 


155 


of  Parliament;  neither  could  he  put  a  subject  in  prison  without  due 
process  of  law.  This  being  so,  it  followed  that  the  Commons  were  able 
to  control  the  king's  actions.  Charles  determined  not  to  submit  to  any 
such  control ;  he  would  do  as  he  pleased. 

When  James  came  to  the  throne,  he  persecuted  the  Puritans,  com 
pelling  William  Bradford,  and  the  men  and  women  of  Scroebj,  and 
thousands  more,  to  leave  the  country;  but  as  the  years  went  on  there 
began  to  be  discussions  about  the  Prayer-book,  especially  about  the  ritual 
for  bowing  and  kneeling,  adopted  in  the  time  of  Elizabeth,  which  made 
the  service  much  like  that  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  Two  parties  arose 
— the  Ritualists,  who  accepted  the  Prayer  -  book  ;  and  the  Calvinists,  as 


they  were  called,  who  adopted  the  idea  of  John  Calvin,  of  Geneva. 
The  Calvinists  were  nearly  all  Puritans,  who  wanted  the  ritual  made 
more  simple.  Charles  sided  with  the  Ritualists,  and  appointed  William 
Laud  to  be  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  The  bishops  whom  Laud  ap 
pointed  urged  Charles  to  put  down  all  such  doctrines  as  those  taught  by 
the  Calvinists. 

"Kings  receive  their  authority  from  God,  and  not  from  their  sub 
jects;  subjects  must  obey  the  king's  orders,  even  though  they  are  con 
trary  to  acts  of  Parliament^"  was  the  doctrine  laid  down  by  the  bishops. 

"The  king  needs  no  act  of  Parliament  for  taxation.  To  oppose  the 
king  is  to  insure  eternal  damnation !"  said  Bishop  Mainwaring. 

Such  preaching  was  pleasing  to  Charles,  who,  thus  supported,  was 
more  determined  than  ever  to  have  his  own  way. 

Through  the  years  the  fishermen  of  England  were  catching  codfish 
along  the  shores  of  New  England ;  but  so  much  time  was  lost  coming  and 


156  OLD   TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 

going,  that  the  merchants  of  Dorchester,  who  were  fitting  out  vessels, 
resolved  to  build  houses  on  Cape  Ann  for  the  fishermen  to  live  in  while 


GLOUCESTER,  MASSACHUSETTS. 

the  ships  were  crossing  the  ocean  to  and  fro.  They  selected  Gloucester 
harbor  as  a  good  place,  and  built  huts  along  the  shore,  sending  over  Roger 
Conant  to  manage  affairs. 

Rev.  John  White,  a  Puritan  minister  in  Dorchester,  knew  that  the 
fishermen  must  have  a  lonely  time,  and  became  greatly  interested  in 
them.  Through  his  influence  Rev.  John  Lyford  sailed  to  Cape  Ann,  to 
look  after  the  moral  welfare  of  the  fishermen.  But  the  merchants  soon 
discovered  that  the  enterprise  did  not  pay  expenses,  and  the  men  whom 
they  had  employed  went  back  to  England — all  except  Roger  Conant,  Rev. 
Mr.  Lyford,  and  one  other.  Conant  was  pleased  with  the  country,  espe 
cially  with  the  region  a  little  south  of  Gloucester,  which  the  Indians  called 
Naumkeag. 

The  Dorchester  merchants  were  Puritans.  They  had  lost  money ; 
but,  if  they  were  to  go  themselves  with  their  families  and  cultivate  the 
ground,  they  thought  they  might  make  it  profitable.  A  company  was 
formed,  and  the  members  petitioned  Charles  for  a  grant  of  land.  Quite 


THE   PURITAN   BEGINNING. 


157 


likely  the  king  was  glad  to  have  them  go  ;  but,  be  that  as  it  may,  he  com 
plied  with  the  request,  and  gave  them  a  grant  extending  from  three  miles 
north  of  Merrimac  River  to  three  miles  south  of  the  Charles,  and  west 
ward  to  the  "  South  Sea."  Where  the  "  South  Sea  "  was,  no  one  knew, 
only  that  it  was  far  away. 

John  Endicott,  of  Dorchester,  a  member  of  the  company,  a  stern  Pu 
ritan — brave,  honest,  clear-headed,  with  decided  opinions  of  his  own — was 
elected  governor  of  the  colony  which  they  proposed  to  establish. 

In  June,  1628,  the  ship  Abigail,  with  John  Endieott,  his  wife,  and  one 
hundred  colonists,  set  sail  for  the  beautiful  harbor  where  Roger  Conant 


JOHN    ENDICOTT. 


had  built  his  log-cabin.     They  reached  it  in  safety,  and  it  was  so  peaceful 
a  place  that  they  named  it  Salem. 

Endieott  brought  cattle,  and   garden -seeds,  and  fruit-trees.     One  of 
the  pear-trees  set  out  by  him  is  still  living;  the   white-weed  which  he 


158 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


sowed  in  his  garden,  to  be  used  for  medicine,  has  spread  pretty  much  over 

the  country. 

While  John  Endicott  was  sailing  to  America,  the  king,  the  bishops, 
and  Archbishop  Laud  were  carrying  things  with  a  high  hand  in  England. 
Charles  published  a  declaration,  which  still  stands  in  the  Prayer-book  of 
the  English  Church  in  front  of  the  Articles,  that  no  man  was  to  preach  or 


ENTRANCE    TO    SALEM    HARBOR. 

write  on  doctrines  about  which  men  did  not  agree.  Who  was  to  judge? 
The  bishops.  What  was  that  but  putting  manacles  upon  the  intellect 
and  conscience  of  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  England  ?  But  there 
were  men  who  would  not  be  thus  manacled.  Puritan  ministers  went  on 
preaching  their  own  convictions  of  what  was  right  and  true,  and  Arch 
bishop  Laud  and  the  bishops  went  to  work  to  silence  them.  They  had  a 
powerful  engine  for  that  purpose,  called  "  the  Court  of  High  Commis 
sion,"  established  by  Elizabeth.  This  court  had  no  power  originally  to 
send  men  to  prison ;  but  Archbishop  Laud  was  determined  to  crush  out 
the  Puritans,  and  the  court  therefore  usurped  the  power  to  imprison  men. 
If  a  minister  preached  what  the  bishop  did  not  like ;  if  any  one  sold  a 
book  or  pamphlet  which  contained  anything  they  did  not  relish,  the  court 
condemned  them  to  prison,  the  whipping -post,  the  pillory,  or  to  have 
their  ears  cropped  off  and  noses  slit. 

The  bishop's  officers  were  soon  hunting  out  offenders,  and  there  was 
so  little  comfort  for  the  Puritans  that  they  turned  their  eyes  toward 
America  as  a  place  of  refuge. 

Charles  levied  illegal  taxes,  which  greatly  offended  the  people.     John 


THE   PURITAN  BEGINNING.  159 

Eliot,  a  member  of  Parliament,  thinking  it  time  to  put  a  stop  to  the 
usurpations  of  the  king,  introduced  a  bill  into  the  House  of  Commons 
declaring  that  whoever  should  introduce  popery,  or  whoever  should  levy 
taxes  not  granted  by  Parliament,  or  whoever  should  voluntarily  pay  any 
such  taxes,  was  to  be  regarded  as  an  enemy  of  the  country. 

"  I  will  not  read  the  paper,"  said  the  Speaker  of  the  House,  who  sided 
with  the  king. 

"  Neither  will  I,"  said  the  clerk. 

"  I  will  read  it  myself,  and  I  demand  that  it  may  be  put  to  vote," 
said  John  Eliot. 

"  The  king  has  commanded  me  not  to  put  it  to  vote,"  said  the  Speak 
er,  and  sprung  out  of  the  chair ;  for  if  any  one  were  to  put  it  to  vote 
while  he  was  in  the  chair  it  might  be  regarded  as  a  legal  act.  But  there 
were  resolute  men  in  the  Commons,  and  the  Speaker  found  himself  back 
in  his  seat,  and  held  down  by  two  strong  men,  while  Denzil  Hollis  put 
the  vote. 

Charles  was  very  angry,  and  sent  the  sheriff,  who  arrested  John  Eliot, 
Denzil  Hollis,  and  the  other  two  members,  and  put  them  in  the  Tower. 
The  king  soon  had  them  up  before  his  court,  called  the  Privy  Council. 

"We  will  not  answer  to  the  Privy  Council.  We  are  answerable  only 
to  Parliament,"  they  said  ;  and  the  Commons  sustained  them. 


ENDICOTT  S    PEAR-TREE. 


"  Go  home,  you  vipers !  There  shall  be  no  more  of  your  meetings 
while  I  am  king !"  said  Charles,  dissolving  Parliament. 

Having  sent  Parliament  home,  Charles  set  himself  to  levying  more 
taxes,  selling  exclusive  privileges  to  those  who  would  pay  him  most.  He 


160 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


issued  an  order  forbidding  everybody  from  making  soap,  except  the  Lon 
don  Soap  Makers'  Company,  who  paid  him  ten  thousand  pounds  for  the 


CHAKLliS    I. 


exclusive  privilege,  and  who  agreed  to  pay  him  eight  pounds  for  every 
ton  they  might  manufacture.  Everybody  was  obliged  by  law  to  buy  that 
company's  soap.  The  poor  washer-women  complained  bitterly,  and  went 


THE   PURITAN   BEGINNING. 


161 


through  the  streets  of  London  with  their  wash-tubs,  denouncing  the  soap- 
makers,  and  the  miserable  stuff  manufactured  by  them. 

"  It  rots  the  clothes  !"  said  one.  "  It  is  nothing  bat  lime  and  tallow  !" 
said  another.  "It  eats  our  flesh  to  the  bone!"  shouted  a  third. 

In  order  to  show  what  mean  stuff  it  was,  and  to  enlist  the  sympathy 
of  the  people,  the  women  held  public  washings,  trampling  the  clothes  in 


OLD-FASHIONED    WASHING-MACHINES. 


their  tubs  with  their  bare  feet,  or  scrubbing  them  with  their  hands.  The 
people  took  their  part,  and  made  an  outcry  which  the  soap  company  were 
obliged  to  heed. 

Charles  made  every  trade  and  occupation  a  monopoly,  and  kept  a  great 
company  of  officers  travelling  through  the  country  as  spies,  or  to  collect 

revenue  ;  thus  providing  for  an  army  of  place-hunters,  who  obtained  their 
11 


OLD   TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 

living  by  fleecing  the  people.     He  issued  an  order  forbidding  the  build 
ing  of  any  more  houses  in  London. 

"  The  city  is  large  enough,"  he  said. 

Mr.  Moore,  not  heeding  the  order,  built  a  house;  the  Star-chamber 
ordered  him  to  tear  it  down  before  Easter,  and  because  he  did  not,  was 
condemned  to  pay  two  thousand  pounds.  The  sheriff  pulled  down  forty- 
two  houses  that  had  been  built  near  St.  Martin's  Church.  They  also  de 
stroyed  a  great  many  in  the  country. 

The  tavern-keepers  had  to  pay  roundly  for  the  privilege  of  keeping  a 
hotel.  Some  paid  six  thousand  pounds. 

Charles  wanted  money  to  build  ships,  and  assessed  taxes  upon  land. 
John  Hampden  was  a  plain  farmer,  and  his  tax  was  only  twenty  shillings, 
which  he  could  have  paid  many  times  over,  but  it  was  illegal,  and  he 
made  up  his  mind  that,  come  what  might,  he  would  not  submit  to  the 
imposition. 

When  a  man  has  right  on  his  side  he  can  afford  to  make  a  brave  fight. 
Riches,  ease,  comfort,  position  in  society,  the  favor  of  the  king,  are  noth 
ing  in  comparison  with  right.  Money  is  of  little  account,  if  we  did  but 
know  it.  Fire  burns  it,  thieves  steal  it.  Ease  and  comfort  are  delightful, 
but  they  are  of  the  present  moment,  while  Right  is  forever,  and  by-and-by 
it  is  going  to  conquer  Wrong. 

John  Hampden  would  not  pay  his  tax,  and  the  case  went  into  the 
courts,  and  before  the  courts  were  through  with  it  all  England  was  aflame 
with  John  Hampden's  spirit. 

The  Puritans  had  obtained  a  grant  of  land  from  Charles ;  but  they 
wanted  something  more — a  charter  under  which  they  would  have  author 
ity  to  govern  their  colony.  Sir  Dudley 'Carleton,  who  bore  the  name  of 
Lord  Dorchester,  was  Secretary  of  State,  and  the  Puritans  had  no  diffi 
culty  in  obtaining  a  charter,  which,  considering  that  the  king  had  deter 
mined  to  rule  England  without  a  Parliament,  was  a  remarkable  document. 
The  merchants  were  incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  "  Governor  and 
Company  of  Massachusetts  Bay."  They  were  to  choose  their  own  gov 
ernor,  a  deputy-governor,  arid  eighteen  assistants.  The  members  of  the 
company  were  called  freemen,  and  four  times  a  year  they  were  to  meet  in 
a  general  court  to  make  such  laws  as  they  pleased,  that  were  not  in  oppo 
sition  to  the  laws  of  England.  Here  are  some  of  the  provisions : 

Permission  to  make  their  own  laws.  Choose  their  own  officers.  Power 
to  punish  all  offenders.  To  pardon.  To  rule.  To  require  everybody  in 
the  colony  to  take  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  them.  Power  to  expel  or  punish 
any  one  annoying  them. 


THE  PURITAN   BEGINNING. 


163 


"  The  king  has  given  us  the  land,  but  if  the  Indians  claim  it  you  are 
to  pay  them.  Let  no  wrong  be  shown  them,"  were  the  instructions  of  the 
company  to  John  Endicott.  They  desired  that  the  Indians  should  become 
civilized  and  Christianized,  and  for  a  seal  they  adopted  the  figure  of  an 
Indian  standing  erect  with  an  arrow  in  his  hand,  arid  underneath  the 
words,  "  Come  over  and  help  us." 

The  iPuritans  were  members  of  the  Church  of  England ;  they  had  not, 
like  the  Pilgrims,  separated  from  it.  It  was  dear  to  them,  and  it  cost 
them  a  pang  to  think  of  turning  away  from  all  that  they  had  loved  and 
cherished.  When  Rev.  Francis  Higginson,  of  Leicester,  the  first  Puritan 


COSY    THE    HOMES    THEY    LEFT    BEHIND    THEM. 


minister  who  came  to  America,  stood  upon  the  deck  of  the  vessel  and 
saw  the  old  land  fading  away,  he  wrote  these  words : 

"  We  will  not  say,  as  the  Separatists  are  wont  to  say, '  Farewell,  Baby 
lon  !  farewell,  Rome !'  but  we  will  say, '  Farewell,  dear  England  !  Fare 
well,  the  Church  of  God  in  England,  and  all  the  Christian  friends  there.' 
We  do  not  go  as  Separatists  from  the  Church  of  England,  though  we  can 
not  but  separate  from  the  corruptions  of  it." 

Cosy  the  homes  they  left  behind  them ;  but,  with  confidence  in  them- 


IQ4:  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

selves  and  God,  they  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  they  would  have 
equal  comforts  far  from  priestly  role. 

Little  did  he  know  the  sorrow  that  awaited  him.  Two  days  later  his 
daughter  Mary  was  down  with  the  small -pox,  and  when  the  ship  was 
tossing  in  mid-ocean  the  sailors  sewed  her  lifeless  body  in  a  shroud  and 
consigned  it  to  the  deep. 

Before  the  ship  sailed  there  was  a  sifting  of  those  on  board,  and  some 
servants,  who  were  idle,  were  sent  ashore. 

"  We  will  have  no  drones,"  said  the  emigrants.  There  were  to  be  no 
idle  hands  in  their  new  homes. 

So  long  as  there  are  human  beings  there  will  be  differences  of  opinion, 
and  it  is  well  for  the  world  that  it  is  so  ;  for  only  by  looking  at  Truth  from 
every  side  will  men  attain  the  highest  happiness.  What  we  need  to  learn 
is  to  permit  everybody  else  to  exercise  the  same  freedom  that  we  claim 
for  ourselves.  When  the  Puritans  began  their  settlement  on  Cape  Ann, 
men  had  only  just  begun  to  emancipate  themselves  from  the  thraldom  of 
the  ages.  They  were  beginning  to  obtain  a  glimpse  of  the  principles 
which  underlie  Liberty,  and  made  many  grievous  mistakes.  They  ex 
pected,  perhaps,  to  live  in  perfect  peace,  and  to  have  no  such  trouble  as 
had  made  life  unbearable  in  England,  but  forgot  that  it  is  impossible  for 
all  men  to  think  alike. 

Two  of  the  Salern  men,  John  and  Samuel  Brown,  had  great  reverence 
for  the  Prayer-book;  and,  instead  of  attending  meeting,  set  up  a  meeting 
of  their  own,  and  conducted  the  service.  There  was  a  discussion  and 
conflict  of  opinions  and  actions.  What  should  be  done  ?  John  and  Sam 
uel  Brown  were  good  men,  but  the  Prayer-book  was  hateful,  because 
the  archbishops  and  bishops  were  tyrants  who  had  imprisoned  Puritans, 
and  cropped  off  their  ears  and  noses.  If  the  Prayer-book  was  tolerated, 
in  a  very  short  time  there  would  be  a  bishop  among  them,  and  then  good 
bye  to  freedom,  peace,  happiness,  and  everything  else.  A  majority  de 
cided  that  the  Prayer-book  should  not  be  used,  and  that  the  Browns  were 
stirring  up  strife.  If  the  majority  were  not  to  rule,  there  was  an  end  to 
the  colony.  Under  the  charter  they  had  all  authority  to  regulate  their 
own  affairs;  and  as  John  and  Samuel  were  disturbers  of  the  peace  and 
welfare  of  the  community,  Governor  Endicott  sent  them  back  to  Eng 
land. 

The  persecutions  of  the  bishops  made  life  so  bitter  to  the  Puritans  in 
England  that  many  rich  and  influential  men  were  desirous  of  emigrating 
to  America,  while  others,  who  \\ere  not  quite  ready  to  bid  farewell  to  the 
old  home,  were  willing  to  help  those  who  needed  a  helping  hand.  Mat- 


THE  PURITAN  BEGINNING. 


165 


thew  Cradock,  a  rich  London  merchant,  gave  liberally  to  fit  out  ships  and 
otherwise  help  the  emigrants. 

One  of  the  men  well  to  do  in  worldly  affairs  was  John  Winthrop,  of 
Groton,  a  little  village  in  Suffolk  County.  There  his  father  and  grand 
father  had  lived ;  they  had  attended  service  in  the  old  stone  church.  It 
was  a  delightful  place;  but  John  Winthrop,  though  of  a  calm  and  even 
temper,  was  not  the  man  to  sit  quietly  down  and  lead  an  easy  do-noth 
ing  life  in  the  village  of  his  ancestors,  surrendering  all  his  convictions  of 
right,  in  subservience  to  the  king  and  bishop.  There  were  hardships, 
sufferings,  and  self-denial  beyond  the  sea;  but  he  was  ready  to  accept 
anything  that  might  come  to  him,  rather  than  surrender  his  liberty.  In 
the  New  World,  under  the 
charter  which  Charles  had 
given,  he  would  do  what 
he  could  to  establish  a 
State  in  which  God  should 
be  recognized  as  sovereign, 
and  the  Bible  as  the  rule 
of  man's  conduct ;  in  which 
there  should  be  no  wor 
rying  of  bulls  with  dogs, 
or  sports  on  Sunday,  but 
where  every  man  should 
respect  the  day,  and  where 
all  should  do  what  was 
just  and  right  toward  their 
fellow-men.  He  was  elect 
ed  governor,  to  succeed 
John  Endicott. 

Eleven  vessels  were  fit 
ted  out  to  transport  seven 
hundred  men,  women,  and 
children  across  the  Atlantic. 

Among  the  ships  pur 
chased  was  the  Eagle  ;  but 

the  name  was  changed  to  Arbella,  in  honor  of  Lady  Arbella  Johnson, 
sister  of  the  Earl  of  Lincoln,  who,  after  her  marriage  to  Isaac  Johnson, 
had  lived  in  the  town  of  Boston.  Her  minister  was  Rev.  John  Cotton, 
who  preached  in  St.  Botolph's  Church — a  grand  old  edifice,  with  a  stone 
tower  two  hundred  and  eighty  feet  high,  upon  the  top  of  which  a  lan- 


JOHN    WINTHROP. 


166 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


tern  was  displayed  at  night  to  light  vessels  out  on  the  German  Ocean 
into  the  harbor.  It  was  from  the  town  of  Boston  that  the  men  of 
Scrooby  attempted  to  escape  to  Holland  in  1607,  and  were  arrested  and 
thrust  into  the  filthy  jail  under  the  shadow  of  St.  Botolph's.  So  rapidly 
had  some  of  the  ideas  of  the  men  of  Scrooby  advanced,  that  Rev.  John 
Cotton  and  thousands  of  the  citizens  of  Lincolnshire  were  now  ready 
to  follow  them  to  America. 

A  very  important  meeting  of  the  Massachusetts  Company  was  held  in 
London,  at  John  Goffe's  house,  August  28th,  1629. 

Matthew  Cradock  put  this  question  to  vote :  "  Shall  the  government  of 
the  colony  be  in  New  England  or  here  ?  All  in  favor  of  transferring  it 
to  New  England  will  hold  up  their  hands."  The  hands  were  raised. 

"It  is  a  vote." 

Was  it  simply  the  transfer  of  the  management  of  a  company  across 
the  ocean  of  men  engaged  in  buying  furs,  catching  fish,  building  houses, 
and  opening  farms?  It  was  rather  the  transfer  of  a  commonwealth.  It 
was  the  beginning  of  a  State.  All  the  authority,  all  the  power  that  they 


GROTON    CHURCH. 


had  desired  from  the  king  to  make  laws  and  execute  them,  was  trans 
planted  to  America  by  this  vote. 

Isaac  Johnson,  Lady  Arbella,  and  John  Winthrop  were  passengers  on 
the  Arbella. 

On  the  10th  of  April  they  saw  the  land  fade  away,  and  on  June  6th 
they  sighted  Cape  Sable,  and  then  coasted  along  the  shores  of  Maine. 


THE  PURITAN  BEGINNING. 


167 


"NORMAN'S  \VOE." 

The  governor  made  this  entry  in  his  journal : 

"  We  had  warm,  fair  weather,  and  so  pleasant  and  sweet  airs  as  did 
refresh  us,  and  there  came  a  smell  off  the  shore  like  the  smell  of  a  gar 
den." 

Southward  they  saw  the  Isles  of  Shoals,  where  there  was  a  ship  at 
anchor,  the  Lyon,  Captain  Pierce,  who  had  been  many  times  on  the  coast. 
Beyond  the  islands  they  beheld  Cape  Ann,  its  white  ledges  gleaming  in 
the  sunlight. 

Out  from  the  shore  they  beheld  the  waves  breaking  over  "  Norman's 
"Woe,"  where  many  vessels  since  then  have  been  wrecked.  It  was  on 
those  ragged  ledges  that  the  Hesperus,  as  described  by  the  poet  Longfel 
low,  was  torn  to  splinters  by  the  angry  sea : 


168  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

"Fast  through  the  midnight,  dark.,  and  drear, 

Through  the  whistling  sleet  and  snow, 
Like  a  sheeted  ghost  the  vessel  swept 
Toward  the  reef  of  Norman's  Woe." 

The  ArbeUa  rounded  the  cape,  and  sailed  proudly  into  Gloucester 
harbor.     Her  anchor  was  dropped,  and  the  women  and  children  hastened 

on  shore  to  tread  once 
more  the  green  earth, 
to  pick  wild  strawber 
ries,  and  to  sit  beneath 
the  stately  trees.  John 
Endicott  arrived  in  his 
boat,  and  Governor 
Winthrop,  Mr.  John 
son,  and  Lady  Arbella 
went  with  him  to  Sa 
lem,  where  they  sat 
down  to  a  sapper  of 
venison,  pastry,  and 
small-beer. 

Governor  Win 
throp  and  John  Endi 
cott  sailed  down  the 
coast  past  the  cliffs  of 
Marblehead,  to  find  a 
place  where  they 
might  build  a  town. 
They  visited  Noddles 
Island,  where  Samuel 
Maverick  was  living. 
At  Mishawan  they 
found  Mr.  Walford, 
who  had  been  living 
there  several  years. 
William  Blackstone, 
an  Episcopal  minister, 
who  was  not  a  Puri 
tan,  but  who  had  left  England  because  he  loved  solitude,  had  built  a 
house  on  a  peninsula  on  the  opposite  side  of  Charles  River,  south  of  Mish 
awan.  The  Indians  called  the  place  Shawimit,  but  the  colonists  renamed 


THE    CLIFFS. 


THE  PURITAN  BEGINNING. 


169 


BLACK8TONB8    HOUSE. 


it  Trimountain,  from  three  hills  which  dotted  the  peninsula.  Mr.  Black- 
stone  had  set  out  an  orchard  and  planted  a  garden.  A  sweet  spring  sup 
plied  him  with  water.  He  had  a  library 
of  several  hundred  books,  and  for  seven 
or  eight  years  had  been  enjoying  him 
self  far  from  the  turmoil  going  on  in 
England.  Mr.  Blackstone  wanted  them 
to  settle  at  Trimountain,  which  was  a 
peninsula  with  a  narrow  neck,  and  which 
could  be  easily  fortified  against  the  In 
dians.  The  Puritans  accepted  the  invi 
tation,  and  changed  the  name  to  Boston. 
One  of  the  first  buildings  erected  was  a 
meeting-house. 

Many  of  the  Puritans  had  lived  in  affluence  in  England,  and  it  was  a 
great  change  to  pass  from  their  former  spacious  mansions  to  the  huts 
which  they  reared  in  the  wilderness.  Never  in  Old  England  had  they 
seen  such  snows  as  drifted  around  them  when  winter  came.  Their  pro 
visions  failed.  Meal  was  so  scarce,  that  one  of  the  colonists  wrote  this  to 
his  friends  in  England : 

"  The  crumbs  of  my  father's  table  would  be  sweet  to  me.  Once  I 
had  a  peck  of  corn  or  thereabouts  for  a  little  puppy  dog." 

He  obtained  the  meal  of  the  Indians,  who  were  very  friendly.  Some 
times  the  hunters  killed  a  deer,  and  that  gave  them  a  bit  of  meat.  They 
caught  fish,  and  when  the  tide  was  out,  the  women  and  children  used  to 
wander  along  the  beach  and  gather  clams;  but  it  was  poor  fare  after  what 
they  had  been  accustomed  to,  arid  many  sickened  and  died. 

Governor  Winthrop  knew  that  pro 
visions  would  be  wanted,  and  engaged 
the  ship  Lyon,  which  was  at  the  Isles 
of  Shoals,  to  hasten  to  England  for  sup 
plies. 

Months  passed.     Day  after  day  the 
famishing  people  looked  seaward  to  dis 
cern,   if   possible,   the    returning    ship. 
February  5th,  1631,  was  a   joyful   day, 
for  the  people  saw  the  Lyon  sailing  into 
the  harbor.     Their  provisions  were  al 
most  gone.     Governor  Winthrop  had  appointed  a  day  of  fasting,  but  it 
was  changed  into  one  of  thanksgiving. 

6* 


FIRST    MEETING-HOUSE    IN    BOSTON. 


170 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


On  the  Lyon  was  a  young  minister,  Roger  Williams — a  man  of  ardent 
spirit,  conscientious,  a  great  lover  of  liberty — who  could  not  be  turned  a 
hair-breadth  from  doing  what  he  thought  was  right. 

The  hardships  and  sufferings  had  been  so  great  that,  when  the  flowers 

bloomed  again  in  spring,  more  than 
two  hundred  of  the  emigrants  were 
at  rest  forever  in  their  graves. 
Among  the  number  were  Isaac 
Johnson  and  Lady  Arbella. 

People  in  distress,  with  no  one 
but  God  on  whom  they  can  call  for 
help,  do  not  need  a  prayer-book  to 
make  known  their  wants.  Those 
who  saw  their  loved  ones  fading 
away  felt  how  unsatisfying  were  the 
prayers  which  the  bishop  had  writ 
ten  to  express  their  desires.  The 
Pilgrims  at  Plymouth  were  getting 
along  without  prayer-books.  Doc 
tor  Fuller,  who  hastened  from  Plym 
outh  to  help  care  for  the  sick,  need 
ed  no  pi-ay er-book  to  read  from  as 
he  visited  the  dying ;  so  by  various 
influences  it  came  about  that  the 
colonists  discontinued  the  use  of 
written  prayers,  and  became  wholly 
independent  of  the  Church  of  Eng 
land,  and,  like  the  Pilgrims,  man 
aged  their  own  affairs,  calling  their 
ministers ;  dismissing  them  when 

STATUE  or  GOVERNOR  wiNTHRop.  the7  Phased  ;  electing  their  govern- 

or  and  his  assistants  in  town-meet 
ing,  and  conferring  upon  them  authority  to  make  their  laws. 


THE  PURITANS  TAKE  POSSESSION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 


171 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  PURITANS  TAKE  POSSESSION  OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

TVHE  Indians  who  lived  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut  called  it  Long 
River.     They  heard  that  there  were  white  men  at  Boston  and  Plym 
outh,  and  one  of  them  made  a  visit  to  Governor  Winthrop. 

"I  will  give  the  white  men  eighty  beaver-skins  every  year  if  they  will 
settle  on  the  Long  River,"  he  said. 

He  wanted  the  fish-hooks,  hatchets,  blankets,  and  trinkets  which  the 
white  men  had  for  sale.  Governor  Winthrop  treated  him  kindly,  but 
told  him  that  the  Boston  men  could  not  go  so  far  away. 


NANTOCKET. 


The  Indian  visited  Plymouth,  and  Governor  Winslow  was  so  im 
pressed  with  what  he  had  to  say  about  the  country  that  he  sailed  in  the 
Pilgrim's  little  vessel  around  Cape  Cod,  past  the  Shoals,  past  Nan  tucket — 
which  very  few  if  any  white  men  had  visited — past  Martha's  Vineyard  and 
Block  Island,  and  along  the  Narragansett  shore  to  the  beautiful  stream, 
beholding  fertile  meadows,  rounded  hills,  stately  forest-trees,  and  hanging 
vines.  There  were  myriads  of  fish  in  the  river,  and  the  beaver  were 


172  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

abundant  along  the  smaller  streams.     He  returned  to  Plymouth,  resolving 
to  take  possession  of  the  valley. 

He  had  but  just  turned  the  prow  of  his  vessel  eastward  when  a  sail 
appeared  in  the  west  — a  Dutch  ship  from  Manhattan,  with  John  Yau 
Corlear  and  six  men  on  board,  sent  by  Wouter  van  Twiller  to  occupy  the 
country.  The  lumbering  craft  made  its  way  up  the  stream  as  far  as 
Hartford,  where  Yan  Corlear  built  a  little  fort,  which  he  called  Good 

Hope. 

The  summer  passed,  October  came,  and  once  more  the  Plymouth  ves 
sel  was  sailing  up  the  Connecticut,  with  William  Holmes  and  a  company 
of  resolute  Pilgrims  on  board.  Yan  Corlear  was  amazed  when  he  saw 
the  little  vessel  gliding  defiantly  up  stream,  all  sails  set  to  catch  the  fa 
voring  wind. 

"  Stop  !"  he  shouted. 

"  I  have  a  commission  from  Governor  Winslow  to  go  up  the  river," 
was  the  answer  of  Captain  Holmes. 

"  Haul  down  your  colors,  or  I  will  fire !"  cried  Yan  Corlear. 

"I  am  ordered  to  go  up  the  river,  and  am  going!"  Holmes  replied; 
and  before  the  Dutchmen  could  get  over  their  astonishment  at  such  au 
dacity,  Captain  Holmes  was  out  of  sight.  He  landed  at  Windsor,  put  up  a 
house,  built  a  palisade  around  it,  with  loop-holes  in  the  walls,  and  opened 
trade  with  the  Indians. 

Wouter  van  Twiller  was  astounded  when  he  heard  of  it.  Plymouth 
men  buying  beaver-skins  under  his  nose,  as  it  were !  He  would  put  a  stop 
to  it.  He  sent  seventy  men  to  Yan  Corlear,  with  orders  to  drive  them 
out  of  the  valley.  With  drums  beating  and  banners  flying,  the  Dutch 
inarched  from  Fort  Good  Hope  to  Windsor. 

"You  must  leave  here!"  shouted  Yan  Corlear  to  Captain  Holmes. 

"  I  am  ordered  to  stay  here,  and  intend  to  obey  orders !"  said  Holmes. 

"I  shall  open  fire  upon  you,  and  tear  down  your  house,"  said  Yan 
Corlear. 

"  I  shall  return  your  fire  !"  said  Holmes. 

No  doubt  John  Yan  Corlear  was  a  brave  man,  but  his  men  did  not 
like  the  looks  of  those  muskets  peeping  through  the  loop-holes,  and  re 
fused  to  begin  the  fight.  Yan  Corlear  thought  the  matter  over,  and  con 
cluded  that  it  would  be  better  to  let  Wouter  van  Twiller  settle  the  mat 
ter  peacefully,  rather  than  shed  his  blood  for  a  few  beaver -skins,  and 
marched  his  men  back  to  Good  Hope.  So  it  came  about  that  the  English 
and  Dutch  both  obtained  a  foothold  in  the  Connecticut  valley  in  1633. 

Three  years  before  this  little  flurry  the  Plymouth  Company  in  Eng« 


THE   PURITANS  TAKE  POSSESSION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 


173 


land  had  given  the  land,  from  Narragansett  Bay  northward  to  the  Massa 
chusetts  line,  and  westward  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  to  the  Earl  of  Warwick. 
The  gift  took  no  notice  of  the  Dutch  on  the  Hudson.  The  Earl  of  War 
wick,  in  turn,  transferred  it  to  Lord  Say-and-Seal  and  Lord  Brooke. 

The  Dutch  claimed  to  have  purchased  it  of  the  Pequod  Indians.  They 
did  not  care  anything  about  cultivating  the  land;  they  only  wanted  to 
buy  beaver-skins. 

Who  should  have  it — the  Dutch  or  English  ?  The  people  of  Massa 
chusetts  settled  the  question.  Emigrants  were  leaving  England  by  the 
thousand,  and  settling  along  the  coast  of  Massachusetts.  A  colony  from 
Newbury,  in  England,  had  selected  a  beautiful  site  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  Merrimac,  and  named  it  for  their  old  home.  Another  colony  from 
Salisbury  had  looked  for  the  last  time  on  the  lofty  spire  of  their  grand 
old  cathedral,  and  had  settled  a  new  Salisbury  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Merrimac. 

South  of  TsTewbury  the  settlers  from  Ipswich  had  started  a  new  Ips- 


COHASSET    HARBOR. 


wich.  South  of  Boston  the  settlers  from  Dorchester  had  begun  a  new 
Dorchester.  There  were  emigrants  at  Gohasset,  at  Ilingham,  up  the 
Charles  River,  at  Newton,  Watertown,  and  Brookline. 

The  settlers  in  Boston  wanted  more  pasturage  for  their  cattle.     They 


174: 


OLD  TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 


heard  of  the  fertility  of  the  Connecticut  Valley,  and  in  October,  1635, 
nearly  sixty  of  them,  with  their  wives,  children,  and  cattle,  started  on 


OLD   MEETING-  HOUSE,   HINGHAM 


their  journey  to  begin  a  settlement.  No  Englishman  had  ever  threaded 
the  pathless  wilds.  It  was  a  wearisome  journey.  There  were  hills  to 
climb,  and  streams  to  cross.  The  bright -colored  leaves  were  falling; 
the  chill  winds  of  autumn  swept  through  the  forest;  the  rains  were 
cold.  There  were  many  obstacles — rocks  and  fallen  trees.  Winter  had 
set  in  before  they  reached  the  Connecticut,  and  they  must  construct  rafts 
before  they  could  cross.  In  December  they  reared  their  log-cabins  on 
the  western  bank,  and  called  the  place  Hartford.  The  snow  fell,  whirled 
by  the  wind  into  blinding  drifts.  Their  cattle  had  nothing  to  eat,  and 
began  to  die.  Provisions  failed.  A  vessel  which  was  to  have  reached 
them  did  not  come.  The  river  froze.  Death  stared  them  in  the  face. 
They  ate  the  bark  of  trees,  scraped  the  snow  from  the  ground  beneath 
the  oak-trees  in  search  of  acorns.  The  Indians  were  kind,  and  sold  them 
a  little  corn ;  but  they  saw  that  if  they  attempted  to  remain,  all  would 
die  of  starvation.  Some  of  them  started  through  the  forest ;  others 
went  down  the  river  and  found  a  small  vessel  frozen  in  the  ice,  but  it 
was  two  days  before  they  could  cut  a  channel  with  their  axes  to  clear  wa 
ter;  but  they  reached  it,  and,  with  almost  the  last  morsel  of  food  gone, 
reached  their  old  homes. 

The  men  of  Massachusetts  who  had  suffered  such  hardships  in  their 


THE   PURITANS   TAKE  POSSESSION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 


175 


journey  gave  glowing  reports  of  the  valley — of  its  wide  meadows  and 
fertile  soil — and  when  spring  opened  a  second  party  started  to  occupy  the 
fertile  acres.  Their  minister,  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker,  went  with  them. 
He  had  been  an  eloquent  preacher  in  England.  Earls  and  nobles  often 
travelled  many  miles  to  hear  him.  He  was  as  good  as  he  was  eloquent, 
but,  because  he  could  not  conscientiously  use  the  form  of  service  which 
the  bishop  had  prescribed,  had  been  driven  out  of  England.  He  had 
been  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  two  years,  and  was  greatly  beloved.  The  flow 
ers  were  in  bloom,  and  the  forest  clothed  in  its  richest  verdure  in  June, 
when  Rev.  Mr.  Hooker  and  his  company,  with  their  wives  and  children  — 
one  hundred  in  all — and  cattle  and  sheep,  struck  out  into  the  wilderness, 
travelling,  as  the  compass  guided  them,  through  swamps,  over  hills,  and 
across  rivers.  The  men  carried  heavy  packs  on  their  backs.  Some  of  the 
women  walked,  carrying  infants  in  their  arms.  Mrs.  Hooker  was  weak, 


EMIGRANTS    AT    NIGHT. 


and  rode  in  a  litter.  The  boys  and  girls  drove  the  cattle  and  sheep,  while 
their  fathers  cleared  the  way  with  their  axes.  Feather-beds  were  strap 
ped  upon  the  backs  of  the  cattle  and  horses,  together  with  pots  and  ket- 


176 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


I 


ties.  At  night  great  fires  were  kindled  beneath  the  trees.  Morning  and 
evening  they  had  prayers.  Two  weeks  passed  before  they  reached  the 
beautiful  stream  and  began  to  rear  their  homes.  It  was  midsummer. 
There  were  myriads  of  salmon  and  shad  in  the  river;  the  woods  were 

full  of  turkeys,  pigeons,  and  herds 
of  deer;  the  meadows  green  with 
grass.  Amidst  such  riches  of  nature, 
and  with  such  a  company,  began  the 
settlement  of  Connecticut. 

Charles  I.  was  carrying  things 
with  so  high  a  hand  in  England 
that  John  Hampden  and  his  cousin, 
Oliver  Cromwell,  resolved  to  emi 
grate  to  Connecticut.  They  sent 
out  young  John  Winthrop,  son  of 
the  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  to 
make  a  beginning.  He  built  a  fort 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Connecti 
cut  at  its  mouth,  and  named  it  Say- 
brook.  A  little  colony  was  started,  and  John  Winthrop>  Jr.,  was  elected 
governor. 

Harnpden  and  Cromwell  were  ready  to  leave  England.  The  vessels 
were  in  the  Thames,  at  London,  with  their  goods  on  board,  when  the  king, 
exercising  his  arbitrary  authority,  stopped  them.  Far  better  for  him  if 
he  Had  permitted  their  departure.  .One  of  the  gentlemen  who  came  with 
John  Winthrop  was  Colonel  Fenwick,  who  was  accompanied  by  his  beau 
tiful  young  wife,  Lady  Alice.  What  a  change  it  was  for  her,  to  leave 
the  old  country  home,  with  all  its  luxury  and  refinement,  and  make  her 
home  in  a  log-cabin  inside  the  fort  at  Saybrook !  But  she  was  always 
light-hearted.  She  knew  how  to  fire  a  gun,  and  could  ride  horseback  at 
a  breakneck  speed.  She  tamed  the  rabbits :  the  squirrels  were  her 
friends.  She  was  the  life  of  the  little  company  while  she  lived.  She 
died  in  1648.  Matthew  Griswold  erected  a  memorial  stone  above  her 
grave.  Her  husband  went  back  to  England,  and  was  one  of  the  judges 
that  condemned  Charles  I.  to  death. 


LADY    FENWICK  S    TOMB. 


The  Pequod  Indians  lived  along  the  sea -shore,  east  of  Connecticut 
River.  They  occupied  a  fine  country.  In  the  woods  were  deer,  turkeys, 
and  pigeons;  in  the  rivers  sahnon,  shad,  and  alewives.  In  calm  weather 
they  paddled  their  canoes  along  shore,  and  caught  cod  and  mackerel. 


THE  PURITANS  TAKE   POSSESSION   OF  NEW   ENGLAND.  177 

The  bravest  and  proudest  of  the  Pequods  was  Sassacus,  lord  of  twenty- 
six  sachems.  He  built  two  forts  for  the  safety  of  the  tribe ;  one  was  on 
a  hill  near  Mystic  River,  the  other  near  Connecticut  River. 

Sassacus  was  a  statesman,  and  saw  that  sooner  or  later  the  English 
would  be  in  possession  of  their  hunting-grounds.  The  English  were  at 
Saybrook,  at  Weathersfield,  Hartford,  Windsor,  and  Springfield ;  they 
were  in  Rhode  Island,  and  all  along  the  shore  to  Plymouth,  Boston,  and 
Piscataqua.  How  long  would  it  be  before  there  would  be  no  more  deer 
in  the  woods,  and  no  more  flocks  of  turkeys?  Quite  likely,  if  we  had  been 
in  Sassacus's  place,  seeing  people  from  a  foreign  country  taking  posses 
sion  of  all  the  beautiful  lands,  we  might  have  resolved,  as  he  resolved,  to 
make  war  upon  them.  He  knew  very  little  of  natural  rights,  or  that  the 
only  right  which  men  can  have  in  land  is  in  its  cultivation.  Sassacus 
knew  nothing  of  physical  or  moral  laws.  He  was  in  pos 
session  of  the  lands  of  his  fathers ;  they  were  his.  Why 
should  he  not  drive  out  the  English?  Relying  upon  the 
power  and  bravery  of  his  warriors,  he  resolved  to  make 
war  upon  the  English.  He  began  by  inciting  his  followers 
to  murder  Captain  Stone,  and  the  crew  of  a  vessel,  ten  in  all, 
who  had  come  from  Virginia  to  Connecticut  to  trade.  The 
Governor  of  Massachusetts  demanded  the  surrender  and 
punishment  of  the  murderer,  but  Sassacus  put  him  off  with 
fair  speeches,  and  the  murderers  were  not  surrendered. 

On  a  midsummer's  day,  1636,  John  Gallup,  with  an 
other  man  and  two  boys,  were  sailing  past  Block  Island, 
when  they  discovered  a  vessel  moving  about  strangely, 
as  if  those  on  board 
did  not  know  how  to 
manage  the  craft.  Get 
ting  nearer,  they  saw 
that  the  deck  was  crowd 
ed  with  Indians.  They 
knew  that  John  Oldham, 
of  Watertown,  Massa 
chusetts,  was  on  a  trad 
ing  cruise  to  Connecti 
cut,  and  that  this  was 
his  vessel.  What  should 
they  do?  There  were 

fourteen      Indians      on  WILD  TURKEYS. 

12 


178 


OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


INDIAN    ROCK,   NARRAGANSETT. 


board,  armed  with  bows,  arrows,  spears? 
and  guns.  John  Gallup  was  brave.  He 
had  two  guns,  two  pistols,  and  some  shot, 
but  no  balls.  They  were  four  against 
fourteen ;  but  they  ran  along-side,  and  so 
peppered  the  Indians  with  shot  that  they 
all  crept  beneath  the  hatches. 

"Run  them  down!"  shouted  Gallup 
to  the  boy  at  the  helm  of  his  vessel. 
The  wind  filled  the  main-sail,  and  the  prow  came  against  the  hulk  of  the 
other  with  a  thump,  which  so  frightened  the  Indians  that  six  of  them 
leaped  into  the  sea.  There  came  a  second  thump,  and  four  Indians 
sprung  overboard.  Gallup  leaped  on  board  the  vessel,  and  two  of  the 
Indians  gave  themselves  up  as  prisoners.  The  other  two  would  not  come 
out  from  the  hold,  and  he  shut  the  hatches  upon  them.  He  found  Old- 
ham's  body  on  board,  still  warm,  the  head  split  open,  and  feet  and  hands 
chopped  off ! 

The  Governor  of  Massachusetts  sent  John  Endicott  and  Captain  John 
Underbill  to  chastise  the  Indians.  They  burnt  the  wigwams  of  those 
on  Block  Island,  and  then  sailed  over  to  the  main-land,  burning  more 
wigwams,  and  had  a  skirmish  with  the  Indians,  killing  and  wounding 
nearly  forty. 

Sassacus  had  been  at  war  with  the  Narragansetts,  but  had  made  peace 
with  them,  and  tried  to  enlist  them  on  his  side ;  but  Governor  Winthrop 
sent  for  Miantonoma  and  some  of  the  other  chiefs,  who  visited  Boston 
and  were  kindly  entertained,  and  who  made  a  treaty  of  peace  and  friend 
ship  with  the  English.  The  Pequods  began  war  on  the  English  along  the 
Connecticut  River.  They  killed  a  man  close  to  Saybrook  fort.  A  few 
days  after,  in  October,  they  captured  two  men  in  a  boat,  cutting  off  their 
feet  and  hands,  gashing  their  flesh  with  knives,  and  filling  the  gashes  with 


THE  PURITANS   TAKE   POSSESSION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND.  179 

hot  ashes!  They  killed  the  settlers'  cattle,  and  burnt  their  hay-stacks. 
In  February,  1637.  ten  men  at  work  were  waylaid  and  three  of  them 
killed:  two  were  captured — their  bodies  split  open  and  hung  upon  the 
trees.  A  man  from  Wethersfield  was  roasted  alive!  The  Indians  at 
tacked  that  town,  killed  seven  men,  a  woman,  a  child,  and  carried  away 
two  girls.  The  girls  were  not  harmed,  however,  for  the  wife  of  the  chief 
Mononotto  became  their  friend  and  protected  them. 

The  magistrates  of  Wethersfield,  Hartford,  and  Windsor  met  in  coun 
cil.  What  should  they  do?  Thirty  English  had  been  killed.  War  was 
upon  them.  They  were  two  hundred  and  fifty  fighting  men  against 
one  thousand  Pequods.  A  messenger  was  sent  to  Boston  and  Plymouth 
asking  for  aid.  Massachusetts  voted  to  send  one  hundred  and  sixty 
men,  and  Plymouth  forty.  Connecticut  determined  to  act  with  vigor. 
Ninety  men  marched  at  once.  Captain  John  Mason,  who  had  fought 
against  the  Spaniards  in  Holland,  commanded  them.  Seventy  Mohegans 
joined  them.  Once  they  had  paid  tribute  to  the  Pequods,  but  their  chief, 
Uncas,  had  rebelled,  and  had  placed  himself  under  the  protection  of  the 
English. 

The  grass  was  springing  fresh  and  green  on  the  10th  of  May,  when 
they  dropped  down  the  Connecticut  from  Wethersfield  in  their  little 
vessels.  The  Pequods  were  on  the  hills,  and  shouted  defiantly  as  they 
floated  past.  They  reached  Fort  Saybrook,  and  were  glad  to  find  that 
Captain  John  Underbill  had  arrived  with  twenty  men  from  Massachusetts. 
They  were  fearful  that  the  Indians  would  fall  upon  their  settlement  in 
their  absence  and  murder  their  wives  and  children,  so  twenty  were  sent 
back  to  protect  them.  Captain  Underbill  joined  the  expedition. 

"  You  are  to  land  at  Pequod  Harbor,"  was  the  order  which  Captain 
Mason  had  received  from  the  magistrate.  Should  he  obey  it?  The  Pe 
quods  were  there,  ready  for  him.  Why  land  where  they  wanted  him  to  ? 
"  Never  go  where  your  enemy  wishes  you  to  go,"  was  the  rnaxim  of  Na 
poleon.  Captain  Mason  thought  it  out  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  be 
fore  Napoleon  was  born.  The  other  officers  thought  they  must  obey  the 
order  of  the  magistrate.  They  believed  :n  obedience;  it  was  a  duty. 
"  We  will  ask  Rev.  Mr.  Stone  to  pray  over  it,"  said  Captain  Mason.  Rev. 
Mr.  Stone  was  a  man  of  sense  as  well  as  of  prayer,  and  the  next  morning 
he  declared  Captain  Mason's  plan  was  the  one  to  follow. 

The  little  fleet  sailed  out  upon  Long  Island  Sound  eastward.  The 
Pequods  behold  the  white  sails  disappearing  in  the  distance.  They  shout, 
leap,  and  brandish  their  tomahawks.  The  English  are  afraid.  They  are 
on  their  way  to  Boston.  They  do  not  dare  to  fight. 


180 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


Eastward  all  day  Saturday  sailed  the  vessels,  dropping  anchor  at  last 
in  a  harbor  a  short  distance  west  of  Point  Judith.  No  one  thought  of 
inarching  Sunday ;  it  was  the  Lord's-day.  Monday  was  stormy,  and  the 
waves  so  high  that  they  could  not  approach  the  shore.  Tuesday  evening 
they  landed  on  a  pebbled  beach.  Canonicus  came  with  two  hundred 
Narragansetts,  and  an  Indian  who  had  run  all  the  way  from  Providence 
to  inform  Captain  Mason  that  Captain  Patrick  with  men  from  Massa 
chusetts  were  on  their  way,  but  Captain  Mason  would  not  wait ;  he  in 
tended  to  surprise  the  Pequods.  He  had  executed  a  flank  movement, 
and  would  take  them  in  the  rear.  They  expected  him  to  attack  from  the 
west ;  they  thought  that  he  had  fled ;  but  he  would  fall  upon  them  from 
the  east.  It  was  forty  miles  to  the  fort  that  overlooked  the  beautiful 


WHERE    THEY    LANDED. 


harbor  of  Mystic.  There  were  rivers  to  cross;  there  were  rocks  and 
fallen  trees  in  the  way,  but  onward  moved  the  determined  band,  the 
Narragansetts  and  Mohegans  in  front,  boasting  of  what  they  would  do. 

"  Indians  brave,  white  men  afraid  !"  they  said.  Fifteen  miles  brought 
them  to  a  fort  of  the  Narragansetts,  who  would  not  permit  the  English  to 
enter  it.  Captain  Mason  had  his  eyes  open.  If  the  Indians  would  not 
permit  him  to  go  into  it,  no  Indian  should  come  out  of  it  during  the 
night,  to  steal  away  and  inform  the  Pequods  that  he  was  on  the  march. 
He  surrounded  it  with  sentinels. 

The  next  night  brought  them  within  five  miles  of  the  Pequod  fort. 
At  sunset  they  came  to  a  halt,  threw  themselves  upon  the  ground,  and  ate 
their  supper  in  silence.  The  Mohegans  and  Narragansetts  who  had  been 


THE  PURITANS  TAKE  POSSESSION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND.  181 

so  boastful,  who  led  off  so  bravely,  dropped  behind,  saying  nothing  now 
as  to  what  daring  deeds  they  would  do. 

Once  more  the  little  band  moved  on  in  silence  and  in  single  file,  till 
they  could  hear  the  Indian  drums  beating  in  the  fort,  and  the  shouts  of 
the  warriors,  who  were  dancing  in  savage  glee  over  the  cowardice  of  the 
English.  They  are  thinking  of  the  scalps  and  plunder  they  will  take 
when  they  fall  upon  the  defenceless  settlers. 

"  Halt !"  The  whisper  runs  down  the  line,  and  the  men  under  Captain 
Mason  drop  upon  the  ground,  sentinels  keeping  watch  while  the  others 


It  is  two  o'clock,  May  24th,  and  Captain  Mason  awakes  the  sleepers. 
The  full-moon  is  riding  in  the  heavens,  and  daylight  will  soon  be  stream 
ing  up  the  eastern  sky.  The  soldiers  uncover  their  heads  while  the  chap 
lain  prays,  and  then  in  silence  they  move  on.  The  sounds  of  revelry  have 
died  away.  There  are  no  Indian  sentinels  keeping  watch  in  the  fort  that 
crowns  the  summit  of  the  hill.  There  are  two  entrances,  one  on  the  east 
ern  and  the  other  on  the  western  side,  with  two  rows  of  wigwams  within. 
The  Indians  are  sleeping  soundly;  their  dogs  have  quicker  ears  than  they; 
one  barks.  An  Indian  hears  a  commotion  ;  the  truth  flashes  upon  him. 

"Owanuscf  Owanux  /" — "  English  !    English  !"  he  shouts. 

Captain  Mason,  and  sixteen  men  are  inside  the  palisade,  and  Captain 
Underbill  and  his  men  are  coming  in  on  the  opposite  side.  The  warriors 
rush  out  of  their  wigwams.  The  muskets  flash,  arrows  fly.  Mason  drives 
them  against  Underbill,  and  Underbill  drives  them  back  again. 

"  Burn  them !"  Mason  shouts,  and  springs  into  a  wigwam  and  takes 
up  a  firebrand.  A  warrior  draws  his  bow  to  send  an  arrow  through  his 
heart,  but  a  soldier  swings  his  sword  and  cuts  the  bowstring.  The  cap 
tain  holds  the  brand  against  the  wigwam,  and  in  an  instant  it  is  ablaze. 
The  wind  sweeps  the  fire  down  the  line  of  wigwams.  There  are  six 
hundred  Indians  in  the  fort — warriors,  squaws,  and  papooses.  Humanity 
has  no  place  in  this  fight.  Old  and  young  alike  go  down — some  shot,  oth 
ers  cut  down  by  the  sword,  others  roasted  in  the  flames.  The  Mohegans 
and  Narragansetts  who  have  been  outside  the  fort  come  in  and  finish  the 
work.  Seven  escape,  and  seven  only  are  taken  prisoners.  When  the  sun 
rises,  its  beams  fall  upon  nearly  six  hundred  ghastly  corpses  blackened  by 
the  flames.  Two  of  the  English  have  been  killed,  twenty  wounded,  out  of 
the  seventy-seven  composing  the  party.  It  was  a  narrow  escape,  that  of 
Lieutenant  Bull's — the  piece  of  hard  cheese  he  had  in  his  pocket  stopping 
the  arrow.  John  Dyer  and  Thomas  Stiles  each  had  arrows  shot  through 
their  neck-cloths. 


182 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


It  was  only  a  few  miles  to  the  other  fort,  but  Captain  Mason  could 
not  go  over  to  attack  it.  His  provisions  were  gone,  his  men  exhausted. 
One -third  were  wounded  or  broken  down.  He  must  carry  them  to 
the  vessels,  which  were  miles  away.  He  knew  that  the  warriors  of  the 
other  fort  would  soon  be  upon  him,  and  wisely  began  his  return.  The 


NEW    HAVEN. 


Indians  of  the  other  fort  made  their  appearance.  The  forest  echoed 
their  howlings ;  but  Captain  Mason,  hiring  the  Narragansetts  to  carry  the 
wounded,  kept  them  at  bay,  and  reached  the  sea-shore.  The  vessels  came 
and  took  them  on  board,  bearing  them  safely  to  their  homes. 

A  great  blow  had  been  struck.  The  Pequods  lost  all  heart.  Sassacus 
fled,  and  was  killed  by  the  Mohawks.  In  a  few  weeks  the  once  powerful 
tribe  was  widely  dispersed.  Some  of  the  captives  were  taken  to  the 
West  Indies  and  sold  into  slavery  by  the  Massachusetts  people.  No  one 
questioned  the  rightfulness  of  such  an  act.  If  it  was  right  to  enslave 
negroes,  why  was  it  not  right  to  sell  Indians  taken  in  war? 


THE   PURITANS   TAKE   POSSESSION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND.  183 

The  blow  struck  terror  to  the  heart  of  every  Indian  in  'New  England ; 
and  for  a  long  period  the  settlers  lived  in  peace  and  security  in  the  Con 
necticut  Valley,  and  everywhere  else  east  of  the  Hudson  River. 

The  next  year  Theophilus  Eaton  and  Rev.  John  Davenport,  of  London, 
with  a  party  of  colonists,  settled  New  Haven.  They  were  rich,  and  pur 
chased  the  land  of  the  Indians.  They  agreed  that  only  members  of  the 
church  should  have  any  voice  in  public  affairs.  They  chose  Eaton  for 
their  governor. 

Thus  it  came  about  that  there  were  three  distinct  colonies  in  Connect 
icut — Saybrook,  New  Haven,  and  Hartford.  Windsor  and  Wethersfield 
joined  Hartford  in  establishing  a  government,  and,  in  contrast  to  the  New 
Haven  Colony,  agreed  that  everybody  who  had  a  good  character  should 
be  allowed  to  vote.  It  was  a  government  of  all  the  people — the  first  in 
America.  So,  after  ages  of  bondage,  the  human  race  arrived  at  the  con 
summation  of  the  grand  idea  that  all  men  should  have  a  voice  in  gov 
ernment. 


184 


OLD  TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

RHODE   ISLAND  AND   NEW   HAMPSHIRE. 

/CHARLES  I.  and  Archbishop  Laud  made  life  so  bitter  to  the  Puritans 
^^  of  England,  that  many  thousands  crossed  the  ocean  and  settled  in 
New  England.  The  king  and  archbishop  were  determined  that  every 
body  should  accept  the  Prayer-book.  They  sent  a  minister  to  Edinburgh 
to  force  it  upon  the  people  of  Scotland.  When  he  undertook  to  read 
prayers  in  the  cathedral,  Jennie  Geddis  let  fly  a  three-legged  stool  at  his 
head.  "What!  ye  villain!  Will  you  say  mass  here!"  she  shouted. 


HARVARD    COLLEGE,    1720. 

"Stone  him!  stone  him!"  cried  the  people,  and  the  minister  had  to 
run  for  his  life. 

In  a  short  time  all  Scotland  was  in  an  uproar,  and  a  little  later  all 
England,  and  John  Hampden,  John  Pym,  and  Oliver  Cromwell  had  a 
hand  in  public  affairs.  Between  1629  and  1639  more  than  twenty  thou 
sand  Puritans  left  England,  and  settled  in  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut, 

"  We  must  have  a  school,  that  our  children  may  not  grow  up  in  igno 
rance,"  said  the  people  around  Boston.  The  general  court  voted  to  es- 


RHODE    ISLAND   AND  NEW   HAMPSHIRE.  187 

tablisli  one,  which  was  opened  in  Cambridge,  1638 — the  first  in  America. 
John  Harvard,  the  minister  of  Charlestown,  seeing  the  needs  of  the  peo 
ple,  and  taking  a  long  look  ahead,  gave  half  of  his  property — about  eight 
hundred  pounds — and  his  library  to  the  school;  and  the  people,  reveren 
cing  his  memory,  named  it  Harvard  College. 

Joseph  Glover  started  from  England  with  a  printing-press  and  type, 
but  died  before  reaching  America,  and  Stephen  Daye  took  charge  of  the 
press.  The  oath  which  men  took  when  they  became  voters  was  the  first 
printing  in  America.  The  first  pamphlet  was  an  Almanac  for  1639.  The 
next  year,  1640,  John  Eliot  and  Thomas  Welde  translated  the  Psalms  in 
metre,  and  Thomas  Daye  printed  them,  making  a  volume  of  three  hundred 
pages — the  first  book  printed  in  America  north  of  Mexico. 

Among  the  people  who  arrived  in  Massachusetts  was  a  young  minis 
ter,  Roger  Williams,  and  his  wife.  He  had  been  educated  at  Cambridge. 
He  was  exceedingly  conscientious,  and  so  staunch  a  Puritan  that  the  offi 
cers  of  Archbishop  Laud  compelled  him  to  flee  from  England.  He  went 
to  Plymouth,  preached  awhile,  and  visited  the  Narragansett  Indians.  He 
was  kind-hearted,  and  they  welcomed  him  as  a  friend.  From  the  wig 
wams  of  the  Indians  he  went  to  Salem  to  preach.  He  had  an  intense 
hatred  of  the  Pope  and  all  the  superstitions  of  the  Church  of  Rome ;  and 
he  so  stirred  up  John  Endicott,  who  was  captain  of  the  militia,  that  one 
day,  when  the  soldiers  were  drilling,  Endicott  run  his  sword  through  the 
flag  and  cut  out  the  cross,  because  it  was  an  emblem  of  superstition. 

Mr.  Williams  maintained  that  the  settlers  had  no  right  to  occupy  their 
lands.  "  King  James,"  he  said,  "  never  owned  the  land  in  America.  He 
never  purchased  it ;  never  paid  the  Indians  anything  for  it.  Though  he 
had  given  it  to  the  colonists,  he  had  no  right  to  do  so ;  and  the  colonists 
had  no  title." 

This  was  calling  in  question  not  only  their  title  to  land,  but  every 
thing  else.  Such  an  opinion  sounded  very  much  like  treason.  He  was 
called  to  account  by  the  governor,  and  promised  to  burn  a  pamphlet 
which  he  had  written,  thus  making  amends. 

During  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign  a  law  had  been  passed  that  compelled 
everybody  to  attend  church.  James  I.  re-enacted  the  law.  The  men  of 
Scrooby  who  would  not  obey  it  had  been  driven  out  of  England  to  Hol 
land,  and  from  thence  to  Plymouth.  The  Puritans  of  England  were  just 
as  strenuous  as  the  king  and  the  archbishop  that  everybody  must  go  to 
meeting  on  Sunday.  The  Puritans  who  settled  in  Massachusetts  and 
Connecticut  re-enacted  the  law,  but  Mr.  Williams  disputed  their  right  to 
do  so. 


188  OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

"  It  is  contrary  to  the  liberty  of  conscience,"  he  said.  "  Under  it  no 
man  can  be  truly  free.  No  man  should  be  forced  to  attend  worship  or 
maintain  worship  against  his  own  free  consent." 

He  was  right;  and  Elizabeth,  James,  and  his  fellow -Puritans  were 
wrong.  Through  all  past  ages  everybody  had  been  wrong. 

"Is  not  the  laborer  worthy  of  his  hire?"  asked  the  magistrates. 

"Yes,  from  those  who  hire  him,"  said  Mr.  Williams. 

The  justices  of  peace  and  the  officers  of  government  were  selected 
from  the  members  of  the  church. 

"  Do  you  employ  a  doctor  because  he  is  a  member  of  the  church,  or 
because  he  is  a  good  physician  ?  Do  you  trust  your  ship  to  the  pilot  be 
cause  he  is  a  member  of  the  church,  or  because  he  knows  where  the  rocks 
are,  and  how  to  avoid  them  ?" 

"  It  is  the  duty  of  the  officers  to  guard  the  people  from  error  and  her 
esy,"  said  his  opponents. 

"The  officers  are  the  people's  agents.  Conscience  belongs  to  the  in 
dividual  :  it  is  not  public  property.  The  civil  officer  has  nothing  to  do 
with  conscience,"  Mr.  Williams  replied. 

Never  before  had  such  an  idea  been  advanced.  The  Puritans  loved 
liberty,  and  their  ideas  of  what  constituted  liberty  were  far  in  advance 
of  those  held  by  the  bishop  and  nobility  of  England ;  but  Mr.  Williams 
could  see  what  his  fellow-Puritans  could  not  discern — that  neither  the  gov 
ernor  nor  the  justice  of  the  peace  had  anything  to  do  with  the  religious 
beliefs  of  men.  Mr.  Williams  had  promulgated  a  great  truth  which  they 
could  not  understand ;  but  he  was  not  alwaj^s  right  in  his  thinking  or 
wise  in  his  actions.  The  governor  under  the  charter  had  authority  to 
require  every  settler  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance.  Mr.  Williams  dis 
puted  that  right,  and  said  it  was  also  a  violation  of  the  liberty  of  con 
science. 

Instead  of  continuing  to  preach  to  the  people  of  Salem,  he  sent  them 
a  letter  informing  them  that  he  would  not  preach  in  the  meeting-house 
any  more,  nor  should  he  have  anything  to  do  with  the  churches ;  for  they 
were  defiled  by  hypocrisy  and  worldliness,  and  they  were  false  worship 
pers.  The  ministers  were  false  teachers,  and  their  doctrine  corrupt.  Un 
less  the  Salem  people  were  ready  to  leave  their  church  and  follow  him,  he 
should  preach  to  them  no  longer.  He  preached  in  his  own  house,  but  not 
in  the  meeting-house. 

What  should  the  governor,  the  magistrates,  and  his  fellow-ministers 
do  ?  Mr.  Williams  was  defying  authority,  and  stirring  up  trouble.  If 
permitted  to  go  on,  the  community  would  be  divided  into  factions.  If 


RHODE   ISLAND   AND   NEW   HAMPSHIRE. 


189 


authority  were  overthrown,  there  would  be  anarchy.  He  was  a  good 
man,  conscientious,  self-denying,  tenacious  of  his  views,  thinking  that  he 
was  right  and  everybody  else  wrong.  The  ministers,  the  governor,  and 
his  assistants  were  equally  conscientious.  For  the  peace  and  harmony  of 
the  colony,  it  would  be  best  to  send  him  to  England,  as  they  had  a  right 
to  do  under  the  charter;  but  while  they  were  deliberating  Mr.  Williams 
disappeared  from  Salem. 

It  was  midwinter;  but  rather  than  be  sent  back  to  England  he  went 
out  into  the  wilderness,  wandering  through  deep  snows,  sleeping  at  night 
in  hollow  trees,  finding  shelter  and  food  in  the  wigwams 
of  the  Indians. 

Governor  Bradford  at  Plymouth  learned  that  he  was 
with  the  Indians,  and  sent  him  a  kind  letter. 
Five  friends  joined  him.     He  began  to  build 
a  house  at  Seekonk ;  but  Governor  Bradford 
informed  him  that  the  location  which  he  had 
chosen  was   within  the  boundary  of  Massa 
chusetts,  and  advised  him  to  go  beyond  it. 
Mr.  Williams  thought  it  wise  to 
do  so.     He  arid  his  friends  pad 
dled  their  canoes  down  the  Paw- 
tucket  River  to  the  country  of  the 
Narragansetts. 

"  Welcome!  wel- 


WHERE    ROGER    WILLIAMS    LANDED. 


come!"  said  his  old  friends,  the  Indians.  He  landed  upon  a  lovely  spot, 
where  a  spring  of  pure  water  bubbled  from  the  ground. 

"  Here  we  will  make  our  home,"  said  Mr.  Williams,  naming  the  place 
Providence,  in  acknowledgment  of  God's  providential  care. 

Canonicus,  chief  of  the  Narragan setts,  gave  Mr.  Williams  a  tract  of 
land;  but  he  was  so  large-hearted  that  he  gave  farms  to  all  who  wanted 
to  build  a  home. 


190  OLD   TIMES   LN   THE   COLONIES. 

"  I  desire  that  it  may  be  a  shelter  for  persons  distressed  for  con 
science,"  he  said. 

People  who  had  suffered  persecution  in  England,  and  who  did  not 
like  the  rule  of  the  Puritans  in  Massachusetts,  flocked  to  Mr.  Williams's 


RESIDENCE    OF    GOVERNOR    CUDU1NGTON,   NEWPORT,    1641. 

settlement,  where  they  could  do  pretty  much  as  they  pleased.  Mr.  Wil 
liams  persuaded  Miantonoma,  one  of  the  Narragansett  chiefs,  to  give  the 
island  of  Aquidneck  to  William  Coddington. 

No  matter  what  opinions  a  man  held,  he  was  welcome  in  Mr.  Wil- 
liams's  settlement,  and  also  in  the  town  laid  out  in  1639  by  William  Cod 
dington,  which  he  called  Newport. 

The  settlers  knew  that  law  and  order  were  necessary  for  the  pros 
perity  of  every  community,  and  held  a  meeting  in  which  everybody 
voted,  declaring  that  all  should  have  liberty  of  conscience  forever;  that 
they  would  obey  the  laws  which  the  men  whom  they  selected  for  that 
purpose  might  make.  They  were  aware  that  they  needed  something 
more  to  give  themselves  a  standing  in  the  world — a  charter. 

The  other  colonies  would  not  recognize  them  as  a  colony.  To  obtain 
a  charter  they  sent  Eoger  Williams  to  England,  who,  through  the  influ- 


KHODE  ISLAND  AND   NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


191 


enee  of  Sir  Henry  Yane,  obtained  one  from  Parliament,  which  was  fight 
ing  King  Charles. 

What  a  joyful  day  it  was  when  Mr.  Williams  returned  with  it ! 
When  he  reached  Seekonk  he  found  the  river  full  of  canoes.  The  whole 
settlement  came  to  welcome  him,  and  escorted  him  to  his  home. 

Many  people  who  were  discontented  otherwheres — in  England,  Massa 
chusetts,  and  Connecticut — emigrated  to  Rhode  Island,  but  not  always  to 
find  peace.  Some  people  have  discontented  natures,  and  are  restless  wher 
ever  they  may  be.  They  are  not  happy  unless  they  are  making  it  hot 
for  themselves  or  somebody  else.  There  were  such  people  in  Rhode  Isl 
and,  who  were  ever  having  a  wrar  of  words  with  their  neighbors.  They 
had  fierce  discussions  at  town-meetings;  but  they  had  no  tithes  or  taxes 
to  pay,  to  support  a  minister  who  might  preach  what  they  did  not  believe. 
Whatever  was  given  for  religious  worship  was  a  voluntary  contribution. 

What  a  step  it  was !  Nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  have  passed 
away,  and  England,  the  birthplace  of  every  one  of  those  settlers  of  Rhode 
Island,  has  not  yet  attained  the  grand  ideal  which  put  forth  its  first  blos 
soms  along  the  peaceful  waters  of  Narragansett  Bay ! 

The  good  minister,  John  Cotton,  who  preached  in  St.  Botolph's 
Church,  Boston,  England,  to  whom  Isaac  Johnson  and  Lady  Arbella  had 
listened  to  for  so  many  years,  could  preach  there  no  longer.  Archbishop 


OLD-TIME    HOUSES,   NEWPORT. 


Laud  was  hunting  him  down,  because  he  would  not  conform  to  the 
ritual.  He  was  hiding  here  and  there,  fleeing  by  night  from  place  to 
place,  making  his  way  to  London,  and  from  there  to  Boston,  in  Massa 
chusetts. 


192  OLD   TIMES   IN    THE   COLONIES. 

One  of  his  parishioners,  Mrs.  Ann  Hutch  in  son,  so  loved  to  hear  him 
preach  that  she  followed*  him  to  America  with  her  husband.  Mrs. 
Hutchinson  was  good  and  kind-hearted.  Her  old  neighbors  missed  her, 
for  when  anybody  was  sick  and  needed  help  she  was  ever  ready  to  assist 
them. 

Mrs.  Hutchinson  had  opinions  of  her  own.  She  believed  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  told  her  just  what  to  do  every  day  in  all  the  affairs  of  life. 
She  maintained  that  there  were  two  classes  of  Christians— the  sound  and 
the  unsound ;  the  sound  were  those  who  accepted  her  belief.  She  was 
living  by  grace,  while  those  who  did  not  believe  with  her  were  living  by 
works.  She  was  very  charitable  toward  the  poor  and  sick,  and  quick  to 


NEWPORT,   FROM    FORT    ADAMS. 

relieve  their  wants,  but  she  used  hard  words  toward  those  who  differed 
from  her  opinion.  Mrs.  Hutchinson  did  not  like  the  ministers  of  Boston 
and  Charlestown,  who  preached  against  her  doctrine,  and  called  them 
"  Unchristian  vipers,''  and  invited  the  neighbors  in  to  discuss  their  ser 
mons.  In  a  very  short  time  many  were  of  her  way  of  thinking,  includ 
ing  Rev.  Mr.  Cotton  and  Sir  Henry  Vane,  the  handsome  young  governor 
just  arrived  from  England. 

Rev.  John  Wheelright,  who,  when  a  boy,  attended  school  with  Oli 
ver  Cromwell,  and  played  foot-ball  with  him  and  became  his  fast  friend, 
was  minister  at  Dorchester.  He  was  Mrs.  Hutchinson's  brother,  and  ac 
cepted  her  teachings.  Mrs.  Hutchinson;  like  Roger  Williams,  took  great 
pleasure  in  holding  an  argument  with  somebody.  Rev.  Mr.  Cotton  liked 
to  argue,  and  in  a  short  time  everybody  in  Boston  and  the  surrounding 
settlements  was  discussing  "grace  and  works."  The  community  divided 
into  two  parties.  Mr.  Wheelright  preached  a  sermon  in  which  he  used 
expressions  which  his  fellow-ministers  thought  were  calculated  to  create 


RHODE   ISLAND   AND   NEW   HAMPSHIRE. 


193 


a  disturbance.  The  magistrates  held  a  court,  and  declared  him  guilty  of 
sedition.  Governor  Yane  protested ;  but  the  magistrates  rejected  his  pro 
test,  whereupon  he  resigned  and  went  to  England.  Election  came  on, 
and  one  great  question  before  the  people  was  of  "  Works  against  Grace.'' 
The  ministers  preached,  and  the  people  talked.  Everybody  discussed 
theology.  They  had  been  educated  under  bigotry  and  intolerance.  The 
tyranny  of  the  bishops  had  driven  them  out  of  England ;  and  it  was  not 
possible  for  either  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  Rev.  Mr.  Wheelright,  John  Endicott, 
John  Cotton,  John  Winthrop,  or  anybody  else  to  discuss  the  question 
calmly,  or  to  exercise  charity.  The  ministers  used  hard  words  in  the 
pulpits.  The  people  repeated  them  as  they  argued  the  questions  by 
the  blazing  fires  during  the  long  winter  evenings.  Bitterness  and  hate 
sprung  up  between  old  friends  as  the  controversy  went  on.  The  election 
was  held,  and  Mrs.  Hutchinson  and  her  friends  were  defeated.  The  mag 
istrates  would  put  up  with  her  no  longer,  or  Rev.  Mr.  Wheelright,  and 
ordered  them  to  leave  the  colony.  Mr.  Wheelright  was  not  a  man  to 
stay  and  make  trouble,  after  the  people  had  turned  against  him.  He  had 
his  convictions  of  what  was  right.  He  would  not  go  to  Rhode  Island, 
where  there  were  so  many  discontented  spirits ;  but,  with  Mrs.  Hutchin 


son.  went  north  to  New  Hampshire,  sailed  up  the  Piscataqua,  purchased 
land   of  the  Indians   and   made   a   settlement,  naming  it  Exeter.      Mr. 
Wheelright's  friends  joined  him.     They  chose  one  of  their  number  gov- 
13 


OLD   TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 

ernor,  appointed  men  to  assist  him,  and  all  took  an  oath  to  obey  whatever 
laws  might  be  passed. 

The  people  of  Dover  did  the  same,  also  those  of  Portsmouth.  Thej 
were  so  few  in  number  that  they  thought  best  to  unite  witli  Massachu 
setts,  each  town  having  the  privilege  of  sending  two  representatives  to 
the  General  Court;  and  so  for  thirty -eight  years  New  Hampshire  was 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  Massachusetts. 

There  were  troublesome  times  in  England  between  the  king  and  the 
people.  The  great  struggle  for  liberty  was  beginning.  Governor  Win- 
throp  and  the  far-sighted  men  in  Massachusetts  were  wondering  what 
might  come  of  it. 

What  if  the  Spaniards  or  French  were  to  take  advantage  of  England's 
disorder,  and  pounce  upon  the  American  settlements?  He  saw  that  the 
colonies  might  be  united.  Plymouth,  New  Hampshire,  and  Connecticut 
joined  in  the  plan  ;  commissioners  from  each,  meeting  in  May,  1643,  agree 
ing  to  stand  by  each  other  to  defend  themselves,  and  to  make  war  if  need 
be,  each  to  pay  its  proportion  of  expense.  They  were  to  meet  annually. 
They  took  the  name  of  the  "  United  Colonies  of  New  England"  It  was 
the  beginning  of  the  American  Union,  and  of  the  first  Congress  in  the 
Western  hemisphere. 


AFFAIRS  AT  MANHATTAN. 


195 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

AFFAIRS  AT  MANHATTAN. 

THE  Zouterberg,  one  of  the  West  India  Company's  ships,  with  "Wouter 
van  Twiller,  the  new  governor  of  New  Netherlands,  on  board, 
dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Manhattan  in  April,  1633.  The  cannon 
on  the  battery  and  on  the  ship  thundered  a  salute,  the  trumpeter  blew  a 
blast,  the  drums  beat,  the  soldiers  presented  arms,  as  the  short,  dumpy 
governor,  five  burghers,  who  were  to  be  his  councillors,  Rev.  Mr.  Bogar- 
dus,  the  dominie,  and  the  school-master,  Adam  Roelandsen,  stepped  on 


MANHATTAN. 


shore.     Casks  of  wine  were  tapped,  and  everybody  in  Manhattan  drank 
the  health  of  Wouter  van  Twiller. 

Another  vessel  arrived,  commanded  by  Captain  De  Vries,  who  reported 
to  Governor  Van  Twiller  that  the  Indians  of  the  Delaware,  who  had  killed 
Giles  Hosset  and  the  men  with  him,  had  been  pacified,  and  that  the  traders 
would  not  be  molested.  So  the  new  governor  began  his  administration  of 
airs  .under  favorable  auspices. 


196 


OLD  TIMES   IN   THE   COLONIES. 


WOUTER    VAN    TWILLER    SWEARING    GREAT    DUTCH    OATHS. 

Still  another  vessel  arrived,  an  English  ship  commanded  by  Captain 
Jacob  Eelkins,  who  had  founded  the  Dutch  settlement  at  Albany,  but 
who  had  been  dismissed  from  the  service  of  the  West  India  Company. 
His  ship,  the  William,  dropped  anchor,  and  Captain  Eelkins  invited  Gov 
ernor  Van  Twiller  and  the  burghers  on  board  to  a  sumptuous  dinner. 
Captain  Eelkins  brought  out  his  best  wines,  but  kept  his  own  counsel. 
The  dinner  over,  the  governor  went  on  shore,  and  was  greatly  astonished, 
soon  after  landing,  to  see  the  English  ship  hoisting  her  sails  and  moving 
up  the  river,  bound  for  Albairy.  Captain  Eelkins  was  intending  to  trade 
with  the  Indians  without  leave  or  license. 


AFFAIRS  AT  MANHATTAN.  197 

"  Get  the  cannon  ready !"  shouted  the  governor,  and  the  soldiers 
wheeled  the  cannon  into  position  and  loaded  it. 

"  Run  up  the  flag !"  cried  Van  Twiller. 

Bang !  went  the  gun.  The  governor  expected  to  see  the  English  ship 
haul  down  her  sails  and  come  to  anchor,  but  Captain  Eelkins  ran  up  his 
flag  instead,  and  fired  a  gun  as  if  returning  a  salute. 

Wouter  van  Twiller  was  dumfounded. 

"  Bring  out  a  cask  of  wine,"  he  cried,  and  the  soldiers  rolled  out  a 
cask  and  tapped  it.  The  governor  took  a  big  drink,  smacked  his  lips, 
wiped  his  forehead,  and  swung  his  broad-brimmed  hat,  and  shouted, 

"All  you  who  love  the  Prince  of  Orange,  and  who  care  for  me,  do  as 
I  do,  and  help  me  stop  the  Englishmen." 

The  people  of  Manhattan  were  glad  to  do  as  he  was  doing — drink 
great  bumpers  of  wine.  They  filled  their  glasses  and  winked  at  each 
other. 

"  The  English  are  our  good  friends  ;  and,  as  for  drinking,  we  will  emp 
ty  six  casks  instead  of  one,"  they  said  to  themselves,  and  laughed  at  the 
astonished  governor,  who  was  walking  up  and  down  the  fort,  gazing  at 
the  William  sailing  far  away. 

"Why  didn't  you  fire  shot?  and  why  don't  you  send  the  Zouterberg 
after  her?"  De  Yries  asked.  Van  Twiller  drank  more  wine,  and  went  to 
bed  to  think  about  it,  and  finally  concluded  to  send  the  Zouterberg. 

Up  the  Hudson  sped  the  William.  Eelkins  landed  at  Albany,  pitched 
a  tent,  and  traded  his  trinkets  for  furs. 

A  week  passed,  and  the  Dutch  vessel,  her  deck  covered  with  green 
boughs,  sailed  up  the  river.  Just  before  reaching  Albany,  the  captain 
gave  the  crew  a  drink  of  rum  ;  and  the  trumpeter,  standing  on  deck,  took 
a  long  breath,  puffed  out  his  cheeks,  and  blew  a  great  blast  that  echoed 
far  up  and  down  the  Hudson.  Jacob  Eelkins  had  no  intention  of  fight 
ing,  so  he  folded  his  tent  and  went  down  the  river. 

"  Don't  you  men  come  here  again  to  trade  with  the  Indians  !"  shouted 
Van  Twiller  to  Eelkins ;  and,  "  Don't  anybody  write  anything  to  Holland 
about  it,"  was  his  order  to  the  people  of  Manhattan. 

Governor  Van  Twiller  built  a  house  for  himself  with  bricks  brought 
from  Holland.  He  also  erected  three  windmills.  The  people  were  glad 
to  see  the  great  arms  go  round  in  the  W7ind  as  they  had  seen  them  in  Hol 
land.  He  built  a  church  with  a  steeple  north-east  of  the  fort,  and  close 
by  a  cottage  for  Dominie  Bogardus,  with  a  great  brass  knocker  on  the 
front  door.  He  erected  a  guard-house,  a  gibbet  and  whipping-post,  and 
a  house  for  the  officers  of  the  Company. 


198 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


The  Dutch  in  New  Netherlands  were  not  getting  on  as  well  as  the 
people  of  Massachusetts.     On  the  Hudson  the  West  India  Company  and 


PAYING   TRIBUTE. 


the  planters  controlled  everything,  and  the  governor  was  absolute  in  au 
thority  ;  while  in  Massachusetts  the  people  had  a  voice  in  public  affairs, 
owned  their  farms,  and  could  trade  without  restriction. 

The  West  India  Company  sent  over  William  Kieft  as  governor.  It 
was  not  a  wise  selection,  for  lie  had  once  failed  in  business,  and  his  por 
trait  had  been  nailed  on  the  pillory  as  a  sign  of  his  disgrace.  He  had 
been  sent  by  the  Dutch  Government  to  Turkey,  to  redeem  some  sailors 
that  were  held  in  slavery :  he  did  not  redeem  them,  and  no  one  but  him 
self  ever  knew  what  became  of  the  money.  He  was  a  fussy,  bustling, 
self-conceited  little  man,  with  a  sharp  nose  and  deep-set,  restless  gray  eyes. 

"  You  may  have  as  many  councillors  as  you  please,"  said  the  Company. 
William  Kieft  knew  what  he  was  about,  and  concluded  that  he  would  have 
as  few  as  he  pleased,  and  chose  only  one — Doctor  John  La  Montagne. 


AFFAIRS  AT  MANHATTAN. 


199 


"  You  may  have  one  vote,  and  I  will  have  two,"  said  Kieft  to  the 
doctor.  Under  Wouter  van  Twiller  the  inhabitants  had  had  their  own 
way  in  many  things,  but  William  Kieft  determined  that  they  should 
bow  to  his  will.  These  were  his  regulations : 

No  smuggling  of  furs.  No  smuggling  of  tobacco.  No  selling  of 
guns  to  Indians  under  pain  of  death.  No  sailors  on  shore  after  dark. 
Nobody  to  leave  Manhattan  without  a  passport.  Everybody  must  go  to 
bed  when  the  nine  o'clock  bell  rung  in  the  evening,  and  be  up  when  it 
rung  in  the  morning.  "  You  must  pay  tribute  of  furs  or  corn,"  said  the 
governor  to  the  Indians. 

The  Indians  came  with  bundles  of  furs,  threw  them  down  at  the  gov 
ernor's  feet,  and  went  away  with  scowls  on  their  faces.  They  could  not 
understand  it !  Why  should  they  pay  tribute  ? 

Gustavus  Adolphus  was  King  of  Sweden — a  large-hearted  man — the 
great  champion  of  Protestantism.  He  had  seen  towns  and  cities  plun 
dered  and  burnt,  and  he  sickened  at  the  sight.  He  fought  only  because 
he  could  see  no  other  way  to  defend  the  right ;  but  he  thought  that  in  a 
new  country  men  might  live 
together  in  brotherly  love.  To 
carry  out  that  idea,  he  empow 
ered  a  company  to  emigrate  to 
America  and  begin  such  a  set 
tlement.  There  was  to  be  no 
slavery  or  oppression.  It  was 
a  beautiful  plan ;  but  before 
emigrants  could  be  gathered,  a 
great  war,  which  lasted  thirty 
years,  broke  out  in  Europe,  and 
Gustavus  had  other  things  to 
attend  to.  He  died,  but  the 
project  was  not  altogether  for 
gotten. 

Ten  years  passed.  In  the 
spring  of  1638  two  vessels  from 
Guttenberg,  in  Sweden,  sailed 
into  Delaware  Bay,  bringing 


emigrants  to   establish  a  col- 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS. 


ony.  The  flowers  were  in  bloom,  the  trees  clothed  with  greenest  verd 
ure.  The  country  was  so  delightful  that  they  called  Cape  Henlopen 
Paradise  Point.  They  sailed  up  the  river,  landed  on  the  western  shore, 


200  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

near  a  little  creek,  erected  a  fort,  which  they  named  Christina,  for  the 
child-queen  of  Sweden,  built  a  church,  and  reared  their  log-houses.  It 
was  the  beginning  of  settlements  in  Pennsylvania. 

Peter  Minuet,  of  New  Netherlands,  who  had  been  dismissed  by  the 
West  India  Company,  but  who  had  sold  his  services  to  the  Swedes,  was 


•=--•*-     fT^i?     •— MP    u^y-w^  * 


THE   FIRST    CHURCH    IN    PHILADELPHIA. 


their  leader.  They  built  their  huts  along  the  western  bank  of  Delaware 
River,  cleared  patches  of  ground,  and  erected  a  little  building  of  logs, 
which  was  a  church  below  and  block-house  above. 

Other  settlers  came.  They  were  industrious  arid  hard-working,  honest 
and  frugal,  and  in  1642  built  a  brick  church,  which  is  still  standing.  All 
the  settlers  gave  their  time  to  erect  it,  the  minister  carrying  the  brick  and 
mortar.  Their  friends  in  Sweden  aided  them,  sending  for  ornaments  the 
figures  of  two  cherubs  holding  an  open  Bible,  with  this  inscription  : 

"THE  PEOPLE  WHO  SAT  IN  DARKNESS  HAVE  SEEN  A  GREAT  LIGHT." 

William  Kieft,  governor  of  New  Netherlands,  sent  a  message  to 
Peter  Minuet,  commanding  him  and  the  Swedes  to  leave  the  country,  as 
it  was  owned  by  the  Dutch ;  but  the  Swedes  paid  no  attention  to  the 
order,  and  went  on  with  their  work. 

More  Swedes  arrived,  and  made  settlements  along  the  Delaware. 
Their  governor,  John  Printz,  planted  his  cannon  to  sweep  the  river,  and 
compelled  all  the  vessels  of  the  Dutch  that  went  past  it  to  pay  toll,  which 
aroused  the  wrath  of  the  traders  of  Manhattan.  The  Swedes  had  pur 
chased  the  land  of  the  Indians,  but  the  Dutch  claimed  it  because  Henry 
Hudson  had  first  sailed  into  the  Hudson  ;  therefore  they  vowed  that  the 
whole  country  belonged  to  them.  To  hold  it,  they  built  Fort  Casimir, 


AFFAIRS  AT  MANHATTAN. 


201 


near  Philadelphia,  only  five  miles  from  Fort  Christina.      The  Swedes 
could  not  put  up  with  such  an  insult,  and  tore  it  down. 

The  Indian  boy  who  had  seen  the  club,  in  the  hands  of  Peter  Minuet's 
negroes,  crush  the  head  of  his  uncle,  had  been  biding  his  time.  He  was 
now  a  man,  and  had  nursed  his  revenge  through  the  years,  and  gratified 
it  by  killing  a  poor  inoffensive  old  man  who  made  cart-wheels. 

"I  will  wage  war  upon  the  savages,"  said  Governor  Kieft. 

a  You  have  outraged  the  people,  and  they  will  not  sustain  you,"  said 
some  of  his  friends. 

The  governor  did  not  dare  to  go  to  war  without  consulting  the  people. 

William  Kieft,  quite  likely,  did  not  see  what  would  ultimately  come 


OLD   SWEDES     CHURCH,    PHILADELPHIA. 

from  this  calling  of  the  first  meeting  of  the  people  of  Manhattan — that  it 
would  be  the  beginning  of  representative  government. 

Twelve  men  were  chosen  to  consult  with  the  governor,  and  they  voted 
that  peace  ought  to  be  preserved.  Kieft  was  in  a  rage.  He  dismissed 
the  burghers ;  then  called  them  together  again.  He  had  ruled  as  he 
pleased, with  absolute  power;  but  the  burghers  informed  him  that  thence 
forth  they  were  to  have  a  voice  in  governing.  He  was  more  angry  than 
7* 


202 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


ever,  but  conceded  what  they  asked.     They  went  to  their  homes,  but,  as 
soon  as  they  were  gone,  he  posted  up  a  paper,  forbidding  the  people  to 


THE  AMERICAN  COLONIES 
IN  1G40 


meet  in  any  assembly  without  his  permission,  and  taking  back  all  he  had 
agreed  to. 

The  Indians  loved  rum,  and  the  Dutch  were  ever  ready  to  give  a 
glass  of  liquor  in  exchange  for  a  beaver-skin.  Myndert  van  der  Horst 
had  a  settlement  at  Newark,  in  New  Jersey.  One  day  one  of  the  settlers 
sold  rum  to  a  Hackensack  Indian,  and  when  he  was  drunk  stole  his  bea- 


AFFAIRS  AT  MANHATTAN.  203 

ver-skin  coat.  The  Indian,  who  was  a  chiefs  son,  in  his  anger,  not  caring 
who  he  killed,  shot  James  van  Yorst  as  he  was  thatching  his  house.  Gov 
ernor  Kief t  was  in  a  rage.  "  Deliver  up  the  murderer !"  he  demanded  of 
the  Indians. 

"You  ought  not  to  have  sold  him  liquor!  It  was  the  rum,  and  not 
he  that  did  it — he  was  crazy,"  said  the  Indians. 

"I  must  have  the  head  of  the  murderer!"  the  governor  replied. 

Jan  Dam,  one  of  the  burghers,  invited  the  governor  and  his  secretary 
— Yan  Tienhoven — to  a  dinner-party.  It  was  the  24th  of  February. 
Jan  Dam  treated  the  company  to  his  best  liquors.  The  more  the  gov 
ernor  drank,  the  greater  his  rage.  The  secretary  drew  up  a  petition,  urg 
ing  him,  in  the  name  of  the  twelve  men,  to  make  war;  and  Maryn  Adri- 
ansen  and  two  others  signed  it. 

"I  pray  you,  don't  do  it !"  pleaded  Dominie  Bogardus. 

"Wait  till  the  next  ship  comes  in,"  said  Doctor  La  Montagne. 

"  Only  three  of  the  twelve  have  signed  it ;  the  others  are  opposed  to 
it,"  said  Captain  De  Yries. 

What  cared  William  Kieft  for  the  twelve  burghers?  He  was  gov 
ernor,  and  would  do  as  he  pleased. 

"  Go !"  was  the  order  to  Sergeant  Rodolf. 

The  soldiers  stepped  into  the  boats  at  the  Battery  and  rowed  to  the 
Jersey  shore.  It  was  midnight,  and  the  Indians — men,  women,  and  chil 
dren — were  asleep  in  their  wigwams.  "No  suspicion  of  treachery  on  the 
part  of  the  Dutch  had  ever  come  to  them.  Silently  the  soldiers  landed, 
and  surrounded  the  wigwams.  The  work  of  death  began.  Captain  De 
Yries,  friend  of  the  Indians,  stood  on  the  Battery  and  saw  the  flash  of 
guns.  A  wail  of  agony  floated  over  the  waters — the  death-cry  of  eighty 
men  and  women  at  Pavonia,  and  thirty  at  Corlaer's  Hook. 

Men  and  women  were  shot  down  without  mercy ;  infants  in  their 
mother's  arms  were  hacked  to  pieces.  The  wounded  were  pinned  to  the 
earth  with  stakes,  or  tossed  into  the  river  to  be  swept  away  by  the  tide. 
What  a  sight  was  that  which  Captain  De  Yries  beheld  in  the  dim  gray 
of  the  midwinter's  morning!  Indian  women  kneeling  at  his  feet, with 
their  hands  chopped  off,  a  foot  gone,  great  gashes  in  their  sides,  begging 
his  protection. 

"  The  Mohawks  have  done  this,"  they  said,  never  dreaming  that  the 
Dutch  had  butchered  them !  Oh,  how  hard  it  was  for  the  kind-hearted 
man  to  tell  them  that  they  whom  they  had  treated  so  kindly,  whom  they 
believed  to  be  their  firm  friends,  had  done  it ! 

The  soldiers  returned  to  the  fort,  each  man  bringing  the  head  of  an 


204 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


Indian.  What  a  ghastly  spectacle  — a  pile  of  bleeding  heads!  The 
people  came  to  see  them— some  sickening  at  the  sight,  others  rejoicing. 
The  secretary's  mother-in-law,  in  her  glee,  kicked  the  heads  as  if  they 
were  foot-balls.  Is  it  a  wonder  that  the  Indians  vowed  vengeance?  that 
the  warwhoop  rung  through  the  forest?  that  the  midnight  skies  were  red 


THE    MASSACRE    OF    THE    INDIANS. 


dened  with  the  glare  of  burning  buildings?  that  men,  women,  and  chil 
dren  went  down  before  the  tomahawk  and  seal  ping-knife?  Revenge  was 
sweet !  A  few  days  later,  and  the  settlers  came  flocking  to  New  Am 
sterdam,  while  the  Indians  shot  their  cattle,  horses,  sheep,  and  pigs,  and 
rioted  upon  the  plunder  of  the  houses.  The  wrath  of  the  settlers  rose 
against  the  governor. 

"  Give  us  back  our  murdered  children !"  cried  the  weeping  mothers. 

"  You  did  it !"  said  the  settlers. 

"  You  must  blame  the  freemen,"  the  cowardly  governor  replied. 


AFFAIRS  AT  MANHATTAN.  205 

"  You  forbade  the  freemen  to  meet !" 

"  Maryn  Adriansen  and  two  others  signed  the  petition,  they  are  re 
sponsible." 

"What  lies  are  these  you  tell  about  me?"  shouted  Adriansen,  drawing 
his  sword  and  aiming  his  pistol  at  the  governor. 

"  Put  the  assassin  in  prison !"  cried  Kieft ;  and  he  was  marched  off 
to  jail. 

There  was  a  commotion  in  Manhattan — the  people  demanding  Adrian- 
sen's  release,  and  not  a  soul  in  the  community  offering  to  stand  by  the 
governor,  who  was  compelled  to  permit  twelve  men,  whom  the  people 
chose,  to  have  a  voice  in  public  affairs. 

There  was  one  man  in  whom  the  Indians  trusted — Captain  De  Vries 
— for  he  was  always  their  friend ;  and  through  his  good  offices  a  treaty 
of  peace  was  signed,  and  the  settlers  went  out  to  their  farms. 

But  there  were  some  Indians  who  would  not  be  bound  by  the  treaty ; 
they  had  their  revenge  to  gratify,  and  the  war  broke  out  anew. 

Among  those  massacred  was  Ann  Hutchinson,  who  had  been  com 
pelled  to  leave  Boston  on  account  of  her  religious  opinions,  and  who  had 
made  her  way  to  New  Netherlands. 

Captain  John  Underbill,  who  was  in  the  attack  upon  the  Pequod  In 
dians,  arrived,  and  was  placed  in  command  of  the  troops  of  Manhattan. 
With  one  hundred  and  eighty  men,  he  sailed  through  Hell-gate,  landed 
at  Greenwich,  and  surrounded  an  Indian  village,  in  which  there  were 
five  hundred  men,  women,  and  children.  The  Dutch  had  guns,  the  In 
dians  only  bows  and  arrows.  It  was  a  fearful  slaughter,  and  when  it 
was  over  there  was  a  heap  of  mangled  corpses — the  entire  five  hundred, 
except  five  who  managed  to  escape.  The  Indians  never  recovered  from 
the  blow ;  it  was  the  going  down  of  the  weak  before  the  strong. 

The  West  India  Company  had  had  enough  of  William  Kieft.  He 
had  spent  a  great  deal  of  money,  and  was  so  inefficient  that  he  was  order 
ed  to  return  to  Amsterdam,  and  the  people  rejoiced  when  he  was  gone 


206  OLD  TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 


CHAPTEK  XIY. 

THE   STRUGGLE  FOR  LIBERTY  IN   ENGLAND,  AND   HOW  IT  AFFECTED 

AMERICA. 


these  year,  the  lawyers  of  England  were  discussing  the 
right  of  the  king  to  levy  a  tax  of  twenty  shillings  upon  John  Hatnp- 
den  for  ship-money  when  Parliament  had  not  ordered  it.  The  judges, 
wearing  their  big  flowing  wigs,  met  day  after  day  ;  no  end  of  documents 
and  old  musty  parchments  were  examined  ;  points  of  law  were  discussed, 
long  arguments  made,  much  Latin  quoted,  but  the  five  judges  appointed 
by  Charles  I.  were  ever  ready  to  carry  out  his  will,  regardless  of  Right, 
and  they  decided  that  the  king  had  power  to  levy  the  tax  without  con 
sulting  Parliament. 

It  was  easy  for  the  judges  to  make  such  a  decision,  but  it  was  quite 
another  thing  to  make  the  people  believe  it  was  righteous  judgment. 
This  people  beheld  bloody  scenes.  William  Prynne,  a  lawyer,  wrote  a 
book  against  theatres,  calling  them  the  devil's  chapels,  and  the  players 
Satan's  ministers.  He  denounced  the  setting  up  of  May  -poles,  also 
dancing,  wearing  false  hair,  and  the  use  of  Christinas  evergreens.  He 
had  the  bad  taste  to  denounce  the  queen  for  attending  the  theatre,  and 
was  put  in  prison  ;  but  while  in  jail  he  wrote  a  pamphlet  denouncing 
the  bishops,  calling  them  wolves. 

One  of  his  fellow-prisoners  was  John  Bastwick,  who  wrote  a  book 
denouncing  the  bishops.  "Hell  has  broke  loose,  and  the  devils  in  sur 
plices,  hoods,  and  capes,  are  among  us!"  he  said. 

Mr.  Burton  wrote  a  book  in  which  he  said  the  bishops  were  robbers 
of  souls. 

What  a  scene  was  that  in  Palace  -yard,  January  30th,  163T!  The 
three  prisoners  were  brought  out  from  their  cells  and  put  in  the  pillory; 
the  court  also  condemning  them  to  pay  five  thousand  pounds  each.  A 
great  crowd  gathered  to  see  the  sheriff  carry  out  the  rest  of  the  sentence. 
They  saw  him  heat  an  iron  red-hot  and  stamp  it  on  their  foreheads,  then 
slit  their  nostrils,  and  crop  off  their  ears  !  It  was  very  affecting  when 
"Rev.  Mr.  Bastwick's  wife  stood  upon  a  stool,  and  kissed  him  as  he  was  in 


THE    STRUGGLE    FOR    LIBERTY    IN   ENGLAND.  207 

the  pillory,  and  tenderly  laid  the  pieces  of  his  ears  upon  her  handker 
chief. 

The  sheriff  inarched  the  prisoners  away  with  the  blood  streaming 
down  their  cheeks,  taking  them  to  distant  prisons,  a  great  crowd  follow* 
ing,  and  the  people  showing  their  sympathy  by  putting  Mrs.  Bastwick  in 
a  carriage  and  almost  smothering  her  with  flowers,  for  her  faithfulness 
and  devotion  to  her  husband. 

Archbishop  Laud  wreaked  his  revenge  upon  Rev.  Mr.  Leighton,  who, 
for  saying  that  the  bishops  were  men  of  blood,  and  the  queen  a  daughter 
of  Heth,  was  placed  in  the  pillory,  lost  his  ears,  and  was  sent  to  prison 
for  life !  Peter  Sanart,  for  saying  "  I  hate  those  that  love  superstitious 
ceremonies  and  vanities,"  was  condemned  to  spend  eleven  years  in 
prison. 

It  was  in  1629  that  Charles  said  he  never  would  have  another  Paxlia- 
ment, and  he  got  along  without  one  for  eleven  years;  but  he  could  go  no 
longer,  for,  notwithstanding  he  had  sold  monopolies  and  levied  illegal 
taxes,  he  could  not  get  all  the  money  he  wanted ;  so  it  came  about  that 
he  was  obliged  to  call  another  meeting  of  the  representatives  of  the  peo 
ple,  who  came  together  April  13th,  1640.  John  Hampden's  twenty  shil 
lings  taxes  for  ship-money  confronted  the  king,  for  all  the  members  had 
been  compelled  to  pay  ship-money,  and  they  were  angry.  The  spirit  of 
liberty  was  rising.  Charles  asked  for  £840,000. 

"  If  you  will  grant  it,  I  will  give  up  collecting  any  more  ship-money," 
he  said. 

"We  have  been  illegally  taxed.  We  demand  that  the  judges  shall 
be  punished  before  we  vote  any  supplies,"  said  the  Commons. 

The  king,  in  a  great  rage,  again  dissolved  Parliament,  but  before  the 
year  was  out  called  the  Commons  together  again.  The  members  came 
with  a  spirit  and  determination  such  as  never  before  had  been  seen  in 
England.  They  had  their  arms  filled  with  petitions  from  men  who  had 
lost  their  noses,  who  had  been  branded  on  the  forehead,  asking  for  release 
from  prison  and  redress  of  their  wrongs. 

Oliver  Cromwell  presented  the  petition  of  John  Lilburn,  a  printer's 
apprentice,  who  had  been  whipped  and  imprisoned  for  having  sold  one  of 
Prynne's  books. 

"Let  us  have  the  prisoners  before  us,"  said  the  Commons,  and  com 
manded  the  jailers  to  bring  them. 

What  a  sight  was  that  for  Charles  I.  to  look  upon  ! — four  thousand  men 
on  horseback,  two  hundred  coaches,  and  a  great  crowd  of  people  with  bou 
quets  of  flowers  in  their  hands,  escorting,  Prynne,  Burton,  Bastwick,  and 


208  OLD  TIMES   IN  THE    COLONIES. 

Lilbuni  into  London !  The  spirit  of  the  people  was  rising  like  a  flood 
against  oppression. 

"There  are  some  cobwebs  that  must  be  swept  away,  and  there  are 
some  things  that  we  must  pull  up  by  the  roots,"  said  John  Pym  to 
George  Hyde. 

One  of  the  cobwebs  that  John  Pym  had  in  mind  was  the  Earl  of 
Stratford,  who  had  urged  the  king  on  to  do  illegal  acts. 

"  I  ask  that  everybody  not  a  member  be  excluded  from  the  hall,  and 
the  doors  locked,"  said  Pym. 

The  doors  were  locked,  and  Pym  began  the  work  of  pulling  things  up 
by  the  roots. 

"  There  is  one  man,"  he  said,  "  who  has  become  the  greatest  enemy  to 


STRAFFORD    OX    HIS    WAY    TO    EXECUTION. 


the  liberties  of  his  country,  and  the  greatest  fountain  of  tyranny  that  any 
age  has  produced — the  Earl  of  Stafford." 

It  was  late  in  the  night,  but  the  Peers  were  in  their  chamber,  wonder 
ing  what  the  Commons  were  doing  with  the  doors  locked,  so  that  no  one 
could  come  out.  The  door  suddenly  opened,  and  Pym,  with  three  hun 
dred  men  following,  marched  across  the  hall  to  the  chamber  of  the  Peers. 

"  In  the  name  of  the  House,  and  of  all  the  Commons  of  England,  we 
impeach  Thomas  Wentworth,  Earl  of  Strafford,  of  high-treason,  and  ask 
his  arrest." 

It  was  a  tap-root  which  the  Commons  had   taken  hold  of,  and  an 


THE   STRUGGLE   FOR  LIBERTY   IN  ENGLAND. 

hour  later  the  earl  found  himself  a  prisoner  in  the  Tower.  A  few  days 
later,  Archbishop  Laud  and  the  two  judges  who  had  given  the  unjust  de 
cision  against  John  Hampden  found  themselves  in  the  Tower.  The  Earl 
of  Stratford  was  found  guilty  of  high-treason — that  is,  conspiring  against 
the  State  —  and  was  condemned  to  death.  He  was  a  brave  old  man. 
When  the  sheriff  marched  him  out  to  be  executed  he  walked  with  a  firm 
step.  When  they  reached  the  window  of  Laud's  cell,  the  earl  kneeled 
upon  the  stone  pavement  to  receive  the  archbishop's  blessing.  All  Lon 
don  came  to  witness  the  execution.  A  stroke,  and  it  was  over. 

"  His  head  is  off !     His  head  is  off !"  shouted  the  multitude. 

Bells  rung  and  bonfires  blazed.  So  the  people  manifested  their  joy  at 
the  death  of  Thomas  Wentworth,  who  had  conspired  to  overthrow  their 
liberties. 

The  Commons  passed  laws  which  the  king  did  not  like,  and  Charles 
determined  to  have  his  revenge.  He  started  from  Whitehall  with  four 
hundred  soldiers  to  seize  John  Pym  and  four  other  members.  The  sol 
diers  stood  guard  at  the  door  while  the  king  went  into  the  hall. 

"  The  birds  are  flown,  I  see,  but  I  will  have  them  yet,"  he  said. 

"  Our  privileges !  Our  privileges  !"  shouted  the  members,  as  the  king 
went  out.  What  right  had  the  King  of  England  to  enter  the  hall  with  an 
armed  force?  None.  He  had  trampled  on  the  privileges  of  the  people. 
All  London  was  in  an  uproar.  Military  companies  were  forming.  Not 
much  longer  would  they  submit  to  such  outrages.  The  people  were 
marching  with  pikes,  spears,  and  guns. 

The  Commons  passed  a  bill  regulating  the  militia. 

"Will  it  not  be  best  to  grant  what  they  desire?"  asked  one  of  Charles's 
friends. 

"I  will  not  yield  !"  the  king  replied,  swearing  a  great  oath,  determined 
to  let  the  Commons  and  everybody  else  know  that  he  was  master. 

The  nobles,  the  gentlemen,  the  bishops,  the  aristocracy  sided  with 
Charles,  while  the  merchants,  shopkeepers,  boot  and  shoe  makers,  mechan 
ics,  apprentices,  and  men  of  all  trades,  the  Puritans,  and  many  of  the 
farmers,  were  in  favor  of  Parliament. 

The  Marquis  of  Newcastle,  at  York,  set  himself  to  raise  an  army  for 
the  king,  and  Charles,  turning  away  from  London,  made  haste  to  Notting 
ham.  In  a  few  days  he  had  an  army  of  twelve  thousand  men.  High- 
spirited  gentlemen  on  high-spirited  horses,  accustomed  to  the  chase,  joined 
him. 

Charles  made  a  mistake  at  the  outset  by  appointing  his  nephew,  Prince 
Rupert,  only  twenty-three  years  old — headstrong,  imperious,  self-willed— 

14 


210  OLD   TIMES   IN   THE   COLONIES. 

to  command  his  cavalry.  He  was  brave,  but  not  wise.  The  king  was 
confronted  by  the  army  of  Parliament,  numbering  twenty -five  thousand, 
commanded  by  the  Earl  of  Essex.  One  of  the  captains  of  the  Parlia 
ment  cavalry  was  Oliver  Cromwell,  forty-three  years  old  —  a  rough,  un 
gainly  farmer,  who  had  been  elected  to  Parliament.  John  Hampden  was 
his  cousin. 

"  Who  is  that  sloven  ?"  asked  Lord  Digby,  one  day  in  Parliament, 
when  Oliver  was  making  a  speech. 

"  That  sloven,  if  we  should  come  to  a  breach  with  the  king,  will  be 
the  greatest  man  in  the  kingdom,"  John  Hampden  replied. 

Oliver  Cromwell  raised  two  companies  of  cavalry,  and  gave  five  hun 
dred  pounds  toward  supplying  the  soldiers  with  an  outfit. 

On  Sunday,  October  23d,  1642,  the  two  armies  met  at  Edge  Hill.  It 
was  two  o'clock  before  the  battle  began.  The  drums  beat,  the  cannon 
thundered. 

Sir  Faithful  Fortescue,  commanding  a  regiment  of  cavalry  in  the  Par 
liament  army,  proved  himself  unfaithful,  turned  traitor,  led  his  men  across 
the  field,  and  joined  the  king.  What  joy  on  the  part  of  Prince  Rupert 
and  the  Ro}7alists !  They  would  win  an  easy  victory. 

"Forward!"  Prince  Rupert  gives  the  word;  the  gentlemen  draw 
their  swords,  eager  to  trample  down  the  farmers  and  clodhoppers,  mount 
ed  on  their  cart-horses.  And  they  do  it.  They  sweep  over  the  field,  leap 
ing  hedge-rows  and  fences,  and  fall  upon  the  Parliament  cavalry.  Some 
of  the  clodhoppers  are  trampled  upon,  their  skulls  split  open  ;  the  others 
flee,  pursued  by  Prince  Rupert,  two  miles  along  the  roads  and  fields,  till 
stopped  by  John  Harapden,  who  is  hastening  to  the  battle  with  infantry 
and  cavalry.  Prince  Rupert  thinks  the  day  is  won,  but  is  greatly  mistaken. 
The  infantry  in  the  ranks  of  the  Parliament  army  have  stood  like  a  wall 
of  adamant;  and  when  the  king's  troops  charge  upon  them, they  are  rolled 
back  as  the  waves  of  the  sea  are  tossed  back  by  the  granite  ledges.  When 
Prince  Rupert  reaches  the  battle-field  he  finds  that  the  Earl  of  Lindsay 
has  been  mortally  wounded,  and  taken  prisoner,  and  that  the  king's  colors 
have  been  taken. 

Night  shuts  down  upon  the  field.  The  king  has  lost  one -third  of 
his  army;  the  Parliament  one-third  of  theirs.  Neither  party  has  won. 
Neither  is  ready  to  fight  the  next  day. 

Oliver  Cromwell  and  John  Hampden  talk  about  the  battle.  Oliver 
bitterly  recalls  the  discomfiture  of  the  Parliament's  cavalry. 

"No  wonder  we  were  swept  away,"  he  says,  "with  such  a  miserable 
set  of  animals — old  broken-down  cart-horses — and  the  men  only  tapsters, 


THE   STRUGGLE   FOR    LIBERTY    IN   ENGLAND. 


211 


ENGLAND  &  WALES 

DURING    THI 

CIVIL     WAR. 


NORTH 
Thorough 


good-for-nothing  fellows,  and  people  of  that  sort,  while  the  king's  men  are 
sons  of  gentlemen,  accustomed  to  the  chase,  and  their  horses  the  best  in 
the  kingdom.  Do  you  think  that  such  vagabonds  as  we  have  will  make 
a  stand  against  gentlemen  full  of  resolution  ?" 

"  You  are  right,  Oliver,  but  how  can  it  be  helped  ?" 

"  I  will  show  you.  I  will  have  men  who  will  fear  God— men  of  con 
science—and  I  promise  you  that  they  shall  not  be  beaten." 

Oliver  Cromwell  was  looking  for 
a  long  war,  and  a  terrible  struggle. 
He  was  also  looking  into  the  nature 
of  things.  The  Cavaliers,  as  the  gen 
tlemen  were  called,  had  resolution, 
and  a  high  sense  of  honor  and  loy 
alty  to  the  king ;  but  he  believed 
that  men  who  feared  God,  who  put 
conscience  into  everything,  would 
be  animated  by  a  higher  loyalty  ; 
that  they  would  be  brave  in  battle, 
and  esteem  death  better  than  life  if 
they  fell  in  defence  of  their  convic 
tions. 

He  chose  for  his  soldiers  young 
Puritan     farmers    who    were    rich 
enough   to   own   good    horses,  who 
could  ride  as  well  as  the  gentlemen; 
men  who  had  listened  to  the  preach 
ing  of  ministers,  who  would   not  conform  to  the  ritual,  and  who  were 
h'red   by  lofty  ideas  of  duty  and  obligation  ;   who   used  no  oaths  ;  who 
prayed  night  and  morning,  and  before  going  into  battle. 

The  war  went  on.  The  people  in  the  eastern  counties  of  England 
mainly  sided  with  Parliament,  while  those  in  the  western  counties  were 
more  in  favor  of  the  king.  The  line  on  the  map  given  above  shows  how 
the  country  divided.  Many  battles  were  fought. 

On  Marston  Moor,  a  wide  plain  six  miles  from  York,  June,  1644,  a 
terrible  battle  was  fought — sixty  thousand  men  taking  part  in  it.  It  be 
gan  at  sunset,  and  lasted  until  ten  o'clock;  cannon  thundering,  muskets 
flashing,  pike-men  stabbing  each  other  to  the  heart,  beating  out  each  oth 
ers'  brains;  five  thousand  cavalry,  on  the  high-spirited,  mettled  horses, 
dashing  against  the  young  Puritan  farmers,  who,  just  before  the  battle 
began,  held  a  prayer-meeting. 


THE    BATTLE    FIELDS. 


212 


OLD  TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 


What  a  shock  it  was !  Ten  thousand  men  on  horseback ;  two  great 
armies  meeting  in  the  middle  of  the  plain !  Loyalty  to  the  king  on  one 
side ;  loyalty  to  God  on  the  other.  The  highest  and  noblest  motives  by 
which  men  are  actuated — to  give  courage,  resolution,  strength ;  to  be  re 
gardless  of  death;  thinking  of  nothing  but  duty  and  obligation.  Can 
non-shot  ploughed  through  them,  volleys  of  musketry  swept  them  down. 
Horses  and  men  struggled  in  the  fight.  Five  thousand  killed ;  many 
thousands  wounded ;  the  cavalry  of  Prince  Rupert  broken,  routed,  scat 
tered  to  the  winds;  fifteen  hundred  prisoners,  twenty -five  cannon,  ten 
thousand  muskets  taken,  the  fruits  of  victory  to  the  army  of  Parlia 
ment.  When  it  was  over,  the  iron -sided  men  sung  a  psalm  and  gave 
God  the  glory. 

A  year  later,  June  12th,  1645,  the  two  armies  meet  on  the  field  of 
Naseby. 

"Queen  Mary !"  shout  the  Cavaliers,  as  they  prepare  to  dash  across  the 
green  fields  and  fall  upon  the  Puritans.  Honors,  loyalty  to  the  king  and 
queen,  to  their  ideal  of  divine  right  to  rule,  is  the  thought  that  animates 
the  Cavaliers. 

'-''God  with  us!"  shout  the  iron-sided  men.     When  the  battle  closes 

the  king  is  fleeing  westward.     All 
is  over. 

This  is  the  head  of  a  traitor," 
said  the  executioner,  as  he  held  up 
the  bloody  head 
of  the  king  be 
fore  a  great 
crowd  of  people 


THE    WASHINGTON    HOUSE,  LITTLE   BRINGTON. 


THE   STRUGGLE  FOR  LIBERTY  IN  ENGLAND. 


213 


in  London,  June  30th,  1649.  The  people,  for  the  first  time  in  human  his 
tory,  trampled  beneath  their  feet  the  doctrines  preached  by  Pope  and 
Bishop — the  divine  right  of  kings  to  rule. 

The  Puritans  had  cut  off  the  king's  head,  but  they  had  not  obtained  a 
correct  conception  of  what  constitutes  true  liberty.  They  could  not  at 
once  throw  off,  as  the  caterpillar  casts-  its  shroud,  the  ideas  of  the  past ; 
they  could  not  rule  themselves,  for  they  were  divided  in  opinions,  and 


BRINGTON    CHURCH. 


the  "sloven,"  the  man  whose  iron -sided  soldiers  had  never  been  de 
feated,  Oliver  Cromwell,  became  Protector  of  England — a  king  all  but  in 
name.  He  made  the  power  of  England  felt  as  never  before  among  the 
nations. 

But  what  has  this  to  do  with  the  history  of  our  country  ?  A  great 
deal. 

When  James  began  his  persecutions  the  Pilgrims  fled  to  Holland,  and 
from  thence  crossed  the  sea.  When  Charles  came  to  the  throne,  and  be 
gan  his  persecutions  of  the  Puritans,  they  emigrated  to  America ;  and 
when  the  Royalists  saw  their  last  hope  die  out  at  Naseby,  when  the  king 
lost  his  head,  and  Oliver  Cromwell  controlled  affairs,  they  too  looked  to 
America  as  a  place  of  refuge,  for  fear  of  what  might  happen  to  them. 
They  selected  Virginia  as  their  future  home,  for  of  the  American  col 
onies  it  alone  had  remained  loyal.  In  Virginia  they  could  attend  the 


OLD   TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 

king's  church,  and  many  gentlemen  who  had  followed  Charles  through 
the  great  struggle  sold  their  estates,  and  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  begin  life 


CHURCH    IX    WHICH    SIR    JOHN    WASHINGTON    WORSHIPPED. 

anew  along  the  James  and  Potomac.  They  were  not  persecuted,  but  emi 
grated  of  their  own  free  will,  carrying  to  Virginia  the  ideas  of  Church 
and  State,  the  prejudices,  hates,  manners,  customs,  and  refinements  of  the 
Royalists.  They  were  men  who  never  had  been  accustomed  to  work  with 
their  own  hands,  but  who  were  rich  enough  to  employ  servants.  They 
regarded  classes  in  society  as  the  natural  and  divine  order  of  things. 
Men  who  labored  belonged  to  one  class ;  they  to  another,  higher,  better, 
with  nobler  blood  in  their  veins. 

Virginia  had  been  settled  nearly  half  a  century,  but  had  made  little 
progress.     It  was  weak  and  feeble.     Some  of  the  planters  were  getting 


THE   STRUGGLE   FOR   LIBERTY   IN   ENGLAND.  215 

rich  by  raising  tobacco  and  slaves,  but  a  great  majority  of  the  colonists 
were  poor,  and  others  shiftless  and  lazy,  with  no  ambition  to  better  their 
condition. 

Like  produces  like.  It  is  one  of  Nature's  laws.  We  reap  what  we 
sow.  The  first  settlers  of  Virginia  were  either  gentlemen,  spendthrifts, 
or  vagabonds.  James  made  it  a  penal  colony,  and  sent  several  ship-loads 
of  criminals  to  form  a  part  of  the  community.  How  could  their  children 
be  much  better  than  they  ? 

The  men  who  had  stood  by  Charles  in  the  great  struggle  were  not 
vagabonds;  they  had  been  animated  by  lofty  ideas.  They  were  refined 
and  intelligent,  as  refinement  and  intelligence  then  \vere  rated,  and  their 
advent  in  Virginia  was  the  beginning  of  a  higher  civilization. 

One  of  the  emigrants  was  Sir  John  Washington,  whom  James  had 
knighted  in  1622.  He  had  followed  Charles  in  all  his  misfortunes;  but 
when  the  king  lost  his  head,  when  the  outlook  for  the  future,  as  he  saw 
it,  was  only  dark  and  gloomy,  he  sold  his  old  home,  bade  farewell  to  all 
that  was  dear — the  lands  which  lie  had  owned,  the  old  church,  the  graves 
of  his  fathers — crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  made  him  a  home  on  the  banks 
of  the  Potomac. 


216 


OLD  TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  QUAKERS. 

IT  was  Thursday,  June  llth,  1656,  but  no  one  was  at  work  in  Massachu 
setts.     The  oxen,  instead  of  being  yoked  to  the  plough,  were  chewing 
their  cuds  in  the  pastures;  the  blacksmith's  hammer  was  resting  on  the 
anvil ;  the  joiners  had  laid  aside  their  planes,  the  shoemakers  their  lap- 
stones.     No  one  ate  any  dinner;  it 
was  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  pro 
claimed  by  the  governor,  that  the 
Lord  would  save  England  from  the 
Ranters  and  Quakers. 

And  who  were  they  ?  They  were 
followers  of  George  Fox,  a  shoe 
maker,  who,  before  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  old,  left  his  business  and 
wandered  by  himself  in  the  fields 
and  woods,  wearing  a  broad- brim 
med  hat  and  sheepskin  coat  and 
pantaloons,  sleeping  at  night  in  hol 
low  trees  or  under  hay-stacks.  He 
fancied  that  the  Lord  told  him  ev 
erything  he  ought  or  ought  not  to 
do ;  that  it  would  be  wrong  for  him 
to  take  off  his  hat  as  a  mark  of  re 
spect;  that  he  must  not  say  "good- 
morning"  or  "good-evening;"  that 
he  ought  to  say  "  thee  "  and  "  thou  " 
when  speaking  to  people ;  that  it 
was  wrong  to  fight,  or  to  take  an  oath,  even  when  commanded  by  a 
judge.  He  called  the  churches  "  steeple-houses."  The  ringing  of  the 
sweet-toned  church-bells  offended  him;  also  the  preaching  of  the  min 
isters,  whom  he  called  "  hireling  priests,"  because  they  were  paid,  I* 


GEORGE    FOX. 


THE   QUAKERS.  217 

was  revealed  to  him  that  he  must "  testify  "  to  what  the  Lord  had  made 
known  to  him. 

All  this  was  a  matter  of  conscience.  George  Fox  was  sincere  in  his 
beliefs,  and  he  conceived  great  truths  which  the  people  of  that  time  could 
not  comprehend ;  but  he  was  not  always  wise  in  his  actions.  He  entered 
a  church  one  Sunday  and  began  to  talk  without  taking  off  his  hat ;  the 
constable  hustled  him  to  jail,  from  whence  he  was  taken  before  a  justice. 

"  I  bid  thee  tremble  before  the  Word  of  the  Lord !"  Fox  said  to  the 
magistrate. 

"  I  bid  thee  quake  before  the  law  !"  the  justice  replied ;  and  from  that 
time  he  and  his  followers  were  called  Quakers. 

Fox  was  put  in  prison  many  times,  but  was  so  steadfast  in  his  belief, 
and  persistent  in  preaching,  that  he  made  many  friends.  His  followers 
called  themselves  "  Friends,"  and  in  a  short  time  there  were  hundreds  of 
men  and  women  travelling  through  England,  preaching  in  the  fields  or 
entering  churches,  disturbing  the  congregations,  or  getting  themselves 
into  prison.  They  believed  that  their  imaginations  were  revelations  from 
God.  Some  of  them  were  very  religious,  and  were  actuated  by  pure  mo 
tives,  while  others  did  many  foolish  things.  William  Simpson  felt  that 
he  was  was  "  moved  of  the  Lord  "  to  take  off  all  his  clothing  and  go  into 
the  streets  and  churches  to  preach.  Robert  Huntington  wrapped  himself 
in  a  white  sheet  and  went  into  Carlisle  Church  "to  testify."  Richard 
Sale  astonished  the  people  of  Westchester  by  coming  to  church  at  mid 
day  with  a  lighted  candle  in  a  tin  lantern.  James  Naylor  rode  into  Bris 
tol,  a  woman  leading  his  horse,  other  women  spreading  their  shawls  and 
cloaks  in  the  streets,  arid  shouting  "  Hosanna !  blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord."  The  people  said  it  was  blasphemy ;  and  Parlia 
ment  condemned  him  to  be  whipped,  his  tongue  bored  through,  and  to  be 
branded  on  the  forehead  and  imprisoned  two  years. 

Sarah  Goldsmith  laid  aside  all  her  clothing,  and,  with  dust  on  her  head, 
walked  through  the  streets  of  Bristol,  saying  that  the  Lord  had  told  her 
thus  to  testify  against  the  wickedness  of  the  people.  The  mayor  thought 
it  was  indecent  behavior,  and  sent  her  to  jail.  Many  of  the  best  men  and 
women  of  England  believed  that  the  Quakers  were  deluded  by  the  devil ; 
and  one  minister  was  so  sure  of  it,  that  he  wrote  a  book  entitled  "Hell  let 
Loose !"  They  increased  so  rapidly,  that  four  years  after  George  Fox  be 
gan  to  preach  they  numbered  eighty  thousand. 

Every  vessel  arriving  in  Boston  brought  intelligence  of  the  unaccount* 
able  behavior  of  men  and  women  who  seemed  to  have  lost  all  sense  of 
shame.  Need  we  wonder  that  the  people  of  Massachusetts,  when  they 


218  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

heard  of  it,  were  sincere  in  their  belief  that  Satan  was  indeed  let  loose, 
and  that  it  was  their  duty  to  fast,  and  pray  that  the  Lord  would  circum 
vent  the  wicked  one  ? 

The  Quakers  were  moved  by  a  fervent  zeal,  and  went  out  as  mission 
aries  to  other  lands.  Mary  Fisher  was  whipped  and  imprisoned  for 
-preaching;  but  it  only  made  her  more  zealous  to  proclaim  what  to  her 
(was  the  truth.  She  went  to  Barbadoes  with  Anne  Austin,  and  from 
thence  sailed  for  Boston  in  the  ship  Swallow,  commanded  by  Simon 
Kempthorn. 

Governor  Endicott  was  not  at  home ;  but  Lieutenant-governor  Rich 
ard  Bellingham  and  the  Council  determined  that  no  such  emissaries  of 
Satan  should  have  a  chance  to  preach  in  Massachusetts,  and  ordered  the 
sheriff  to  put  them  in  jail  and  have  them  examined,  to  see  if  there  were 
any  warts  or  other  witch-marks  on  their  persons.  Everybody  in  those 
days  believed  in  witches — even  George  Fox ;  but  the  women  who  exam 
ined  them  found  none  of  the  devil's  marks.  For  five  weeks  they  were 
kept  in  jail,  and  not  allowed  to  communicate  with  any  one.  Their  backs 
were  burnt  with  hot  irons.  When  the  /Swallow  was  ready  to  sail  the 
women  were  placed  on  board,  and  Captain  Kempthorn  was  ordered  to 
take  them  back  to  Barbadoes,  or  pay  a  fine  of  one  hundred  pounds. 
Though  not  permitted  to  preach  in  E"ew  England,  Mary  Fisher's  zeal 
was  not  in  the  least  quenched.  She  made  her  way  to  Turkey,  arid 
preached  to  the  sultan,  Mohammed  IV. 

A  few  days  after  the  Swallow  departed  another  vessel  arrived  from 
England  with  eight  Quaker  preachers  on  board,  who  were  put  in  jail 
while  the  vessel  was  in  port,  and  then  sent  back  to  England.  Governor 
Endicott  and  his  Council  were  determined  that  there  should  be  no  Quaker 
preaching  in  the  country,  and  a  law  was  passed  for  the  whipping  and  im 
prisonment  of  any  who  should  attempt  it. 

By  the  terms  of  the  charter  they  had  a  right  to  pass  such  a  law.  We 
are  to  keep  in  mind  the  fact  that  the  governor  and  Council,  and  nearly 
everybody  else,  sincerely  believed  that  the  Quakers  were  deluded  by 
the  devil,  and  that  they  would  be  answerable  to  God  if  they  did  not  do 
all  in  their  power  to  preserve  the  colony  from  the  wiles  of  the  adversary. 
The  other  colonies,  with  the  exception  of  Ehode  Island,  passed  similar 
laws. 

The  people  thought  that  severe  punishments  would  deter  the  Quakers 
from  coming  to  America.  They  had  little  knowledge  of  human  nature. 
They  did  not  see  that  the  determination  to  adhere  to  their  religious  con 
victions — the  same  desire  which  had  impelled  themselves  to  leave  Eng- 


THE   QUAKERS.  219 

land — would  stimulate  the  Quakers  to  brave  everything  for  what  they 
believed  was  the  truth ;  that  duty  would  be  to  them  the  pillar  of  fire  by 
night  and  cloud  by  day,  to  lead  them  on  to  obey  what  they  believed  were 
God's  commands.  The  Puritans  had  no  conception  of  the  peace  of  mind 
experienced  by  such  women  as  Mary  Fisher  and  Anne  Austin. 

In  passing  rigorous  laws,  they  believed  that  they  were  doing  God  ser 
vice.  The  Quakers,  on  the  contrary,  believed  that  they  were  serving  God 
by  violating  such  laws,  and  were  ready  to  take  the  consequences. 

It  is  a  noble  faculty  in  our  nature  that  inspires  us  to  brave  suffer 
ing  and  death  in  doing  what  we  believe  to  be  right;  but  what,  in  our  ig 
norance  and  short-sightedness,  we  think  is  right,  we  sometimes  find,  to 
our  sorrow,  is  all  wrong.  If  the  Quakers  did  what  they  believed  to  be 
their  duty,  equally  sincere  were  they  who  opposed  them ;  both  were  mis 
taken,  both  wrong.  Time  alone  could  open  men's  eyes  to  what  was  really 
true. 

William  and  Mary  Dyer  lived  in  Rhode  Island.  They  had  a  beauti 
ful  family  of  children,  and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  Mary  felt  that  it  was 
her  duty  to  bid  good-bye  to  those  she  loved,  cross  the  Atlantic,  and  "  tes 
tify  "  to  the  people  of  England.  Quite  likely  her  neighbors  thought  it 
was  her  duty  to  remain  at  home  and  care  for  her  children;  but  the  con 
viction  to  "  testify "  had  taken  possession  of  her,  and  was  above  every 
other  consideration.  She  went  to  England,  and,  after  preaching  awhile, 
sailed  with  Anne  Burden  to  Boston.  The  governor,  instead  of  permitting 
them  to  preach,  put  them  in  jail.  Mary's  husband  came  and  took  her 
home,  while  Anne  was  sent  back  to  England.  Their  books  were  burnt, 
and  they  were  compelled  to  pay  their  jail  fees.  Yery  soon  after,  six  of 
those  who  had  been  sent  to  England  by  Governor  Endicott  the  year  be 
fore  returned.  Two,  John  Copeland  and  Christopher  Holder,  went  into 
Salem  meeting-house  on  Sunday  wearing  their  hats,  and  disturbed  the 
meeting.  Christopher  attempted  to  speak,  but  the  constable  held  him 
down  upon  the  seat,  and  stuffed  a  glove  into  his  mouth.  They  were 
whipped  and  sent  to  jail.  Samuel  Shattuck,  and  Lawrence  and  Cassan 
dra  Southwick,  sympathized  with  them,  and  they  in  turn  were  whipped 
and  put  in  jail,  also  several  others.  The  governor  and  Council,  believing 
that  the  emissaries  of  the  devil,  in  spite  of  the  law,  were  getting  a  foot 
hold  in  the  colony,  determined  to  make  it  still  more  severe :  that  whoever 
entertained  a  Quaker  should  pay  a  fine  of  forty  shillings  for  every  hour 
of  entertainment,  and  be  imprisoned  till  the  fine  was  paid;  that  every 
Quaker  entering  the  colony  should  have  his  right  ear  cut  off,  and  if  he 
came  back  after  being  sent  away,  must  lose  his  other  ear.  Women  were 


220 


OLD  TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 

to  be  whipped,  put  in  the  House  of  Cor 
rection,  and  if  they  came  into  the  colony 
a  third  time,  have  their  tongues  bored 
through.  The  law  was  not  passed  in  mal 
ice,  but  with  a  conviction  that  it  was  for 
the  protection  arid  well-being  of  the  com 
munity.  Very  cruel  it  seems  to  us,  but 
the  laws  were  cruel  all  over  the  world. 


QUAKERS    DOING    Til  i.I  K    DUTY. 


In  England  many  had  lost  their  ears;  thousands  had  been  imprisoned  ; 
hundreds  had  been  hung  or  burnt  for  denying  that  the  bread  became 
Christ's  body  when  blessed  by  a  priest.  Thousands  also  had  been  impris 
oned,  and  others  hung,  for  not  accepting  the  ritual  of  the  bishops ;  and 
had  not  thousands  been  forced  to  leave  their  homes  to  escape  persecution  ? 

In  Germany,  Holland,  France,  and  Spain,  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
men  and  women  had  suffered  death  because  they  would  not  accept  the 
Pope  as  the  head  of  the  Church. 


THE  QUAKERS. 


221 


Under  the  charter  the  people  of  Massachusetts  had  the  right  to  make 
such  laws  as  they  pleased  for  the  preservation  of  the  colony.  Would  not 
God  hold  them  responsible  in  the  last  great  day,  if  they  did  not  do  all 
in  their  power  to  protect  the  community  from  the  wiles  of  Satan?  We 
must  put  ourselves  in  their  place,  must  see  things  just  as  they  saw  them, 
to  understand  the  motives  actuating  the  governor  and  Council  in  passing 
a  law  imposing  the  penalty  of  death  upon  every  Quaker  who,  after  being 
sent  out  of  the  colony,  should  return.  Did  the  laws  deter  any  one  from 
becoming  a  Quaker?  Not  in  the  least.  They  went  on  instead  doing 
foolish  things ;  the  men  wearing  their  hats,  and  the  women  taking  their 
spinning-wheels  to  meeting,  and  persisting  in  spinning  while  the  minis 
ter  was  preaching.  Some  of  them,  carried  away  by  a  strange  fanaticism, 
acted  indecently.  Lydia  Wardell,  laying  aside  all  her  clothing,  went  into 
the  Newbury  meeting-house,  saying  that  the  Lord  had  directed  her  to  do 
so.  The  constable  quickly  had  her  in  jail ;  but  her  imprisonment  did  not 


OLD    TOWN    CHURCH,  NEWBURY. 


deter  Deborah  Wilson  from  walking  naked  through  the  streets  of  Salem. 
Patience  Scott,  only  eleven  years  old,  travelled  from  Providence  to  Bos- 
ton  to  "  testify ;"  and  Mary  Wright,  thirteen  years  old,  travelled  from 
Long  Island  to  Boston  for  a  like  purpose. 


222  OLD  TIMES   IN  THE    COLONIES. 

Thomas  ISTewhouse  went  into  a  meeting-bouse  in  Boston  with  two  glass 
bottles  which  he  smashed,  shouting  to  the  people,  "  So  shall  ye  be  broken 

in  pieces." 

Margaret  Brewster  clothed  herself  in  sackcloth,  sprinkled  ashes  in 
her  hair,  and  went  into  the  Rev.  Mr.  Thatcher's  meeting.  John  Demeri, 
Mrs.  Marshfield,  and  Mary  Ross  stripped  off  their  clothing,  and  danced 
together. 

One  Quaker  attempted  to  offer  his  son  in  sacrifice,  in  imitation  of 
Abraham,  but  was  prevented  by  his  neighbors. 

William  Robinson,  Marmaduke  Stevens,  and  Mary  Dyer,  who  had 
been  sent  out  of  Massachusetts,  returned  in  defiance  to  the  law.  Mary 
could  have  no  peace  in  her  soul  till  she  had  "  testified  "  in  Boston. 

"  Why  do  you  come  to  Boston  ?"  asked  Governor  Endicott. 

"In  obedience  to  a  divine  call,"  she  replied. 

What  should  the  governor  and  Council  do?  Ought  they  to  execute 
the  law?  Were  not  the  children  of  Israel  commanded  to  put  blasphe 
mous  Sabbath-breakers  and  witches  to  death  ? 

"Joyfully  shall  I  go  to  my  death,"  said  Mary,  when  sentenced  to  die. 
Death  had  no  terror  for  her.  She  was  doing  her  duty ;  and  when,  with 
faltering  voice,  Governor  Endicott  pronounced  her  doom,  he  felt  that  he 
was  doing  his  duty. 

It  is  August  27th.  The  pathway  over  the  narrow  strip  of  land,  the 
only  road  leading  into  Boston  from  Roxbury,  is  crowded  with  men, 
women,  and  children.  Boats  ply  to  and  fro  between  Charlestown,  Cam 
bridge,  and  Boston,  filled  with  people  hastening  to  the  hanging.  The 
drums  beat,  and  William  Robinson,  Marmaduke  Stevens,  and  Mary  Dyer, 
guarded  by  soldiers  and  followed  by  the  crowd,  march  from  the  jail  to 
the  Common,  where  the  gibbet  has  been  erected.  The  prisoners  walk 
cheerfully  to  their  death.  There  is  no  blanching  of  their  cheeks.  If  it 
is  sweet  to  die  for  one's  country,  it  is  far  sweeter  to  die  in  defence  of  the 
truth. 

"We  suffer  not  as  evil-doers,  but  as  those  who  have  testified  to  the 
truth !"  Robinson  exclaimed. 

Robinson  and  Stevens  are  hung.  Mary  Dyer  sees  their  bodies  swing 
ing  in  the  air.  The  rope  is  put  upon  her  neck.  "  This  to  me  is  the  hour 
of  greatest  joy  I  ever  had  in  the  world.  No  ear  can  hear,  no  tongue  can 
utter,  no  heart  can  understand  the  sweet  income  and  the  refreshings  ol 
the  spirit  of  the  Lord  I  now  feel,"  are  her  words.  But  a  messenger 
comes  with  a  reprieve ;  she  is  taken  back  to  jail  and  sent  to  her  home. 
She  is  restless  there.  Once  more  she  leaves  her  husband  and  children, 


THE   QUAKERS,  223 

and  makes  her  way  to  Boston.  She  has  shown  her  fidelity  to  her  faith 
by  going  calmly  and  joyfully  to  the  gallows;  can  she  do  more?  Yes, 
she  must  die  for  the  truth. 

What  shall  the  governor  do  ?  She  will  not  stay  away,  but  has  out 
raged  clemency  by  returning.  Can  the  government  submit  to  a  defiance 
of  laws?  Is  she  not,  indeed,  led  on  by  Satan  ? 

Once  more  the  drum-beat  is  heard,  and  the  sheriff  marches  her  to  the 
gallows. 

"  Do  not  be  deluded  longer  by  the  devil.  Repent  and  live !"  is  the 
exhortation  of  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson. 

('  I  come  here  not  to  repent ;  I  have  been  in  paradise  already  several 
days." 

No  more  may  she  be  reprieved ;  and  Mary  Dyer,  in  obedience  to  what 
she  believes  to  be  a  divine  call,  swings  upon  the  gallows. 

William  Ledden,  who  had  been  banished,  returned,  and  was  executed. 
Four  in  all  were  hung,  and  forty-seven  sent  out  of  the  colony.  Quakers 
were  imprisoned,  whipped,  or  otherwise  punished  in  all  the  colonies,  ex 
cept  Plymouth  and  Rhode  Island. 

In  another  chapter  we  shall  see  how  they  were  treated  by  the  Dutch 
in  New  Netherlands.  They  were  persecuted  and  hung  in  Virginia.  In 
all  the  colonies,  between  one  and  two  hundred  were  arrested.  In  Eng 
land,  though  none  were  hung,  more  than  thirteen  thousand  were  put  in 
prison ;  many  had  their  tongues  bored  through  or  their  noses  slit,  and 
their  ears  cropped  off. 

The  truth  had  not  come  to  the  world  that  convictions  of  right  and 
duty  can  never  be  extinguished  by  force.  Paul,  afterward  apostle,  at 
tempted  it,  and  failed.  He  was  sincere  in  his  conviction  that  Christians 
ought  to  be  put  to  death  that  Truth  might  be  preserved.  Those  who 
persecuted  the  Quakers,  without  doubt,  were  equally  sincere,  but  terribly 
mistaken. 

On  the  other  hand,  William  Robinson,  Marinaduke  Stevens,  and  Mary 
Dyer,  while  holding  important  truths,  which  most  men  now  accept,  never 
once  suspected  that  they  were  not  doing  right  in  all  respects.  Time  has 
cleared  away  the  haze,  and  we  can  see  that  the  Governor  and  Council  of 
Massachusetts  on  the  one  side,  and  Mary  Dyer  and  her  companions  on 
the  other,  were  grievously  mistaken  in  their  conceptions  of  Right  and 
Duty. 


224 


OLD  TIMES  IN    THE   COLONIES. 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

THE  END  OF  DUTCH  RULE  IN  AMERICA. 

PETER  STUYVESANT   was  appointed  governor  of  New   Amster 
dam.     He  had  lost  a  leg  in  a  battle  with  the  Spaniards,  and  stumped 
round  upon  a  wooden  one.     He  was  so  resolute  and  determined  in  every- 


PETER    STUYVESANT,  THE    LAST    GOVERNOR    OF    NEW    AMSTERDAM. 

thing  that  the  Dutch  called  him  "Hard  koppig  Piet,"  or  Headstrong 
Peter.  Some  of  them  called  him  "  Old  Silver  Leg ;"  but  he  soon  brought 
order  out  of  confusion. 

The  Swedes  at  Christina,  on  the  Delaware,  demolished  Fort  Casimir, 


THE   END   OF  DUTCH   RULE   IN   AMERICA.  225 

which  the  Dutch  had  erected  near  by.  Hard  koppig  Piet  was  not  the 
man  to  submit  to  such  an  outrage.  He  settled  the  matter  by  sailing  with 
seven  war  ships  and  several  hundred  men,  capturing  Fort  Christina,  and 
putting  an  end  to  Swedish  rule  in  America. 

Governor  Stuyvesant  could  not  settle  matters  in  Connecticut  quite  so 
summarily.  On  the  contrary,  the  Connecticut  people  were  crowding  him 
out  of  Long  Island.  They  were  getting  possession  of  all  the  good  land, 


ANNA    ME  RICA    BAYAKD,  WIFE    OF    PETER    STUYVESANT. 

altering  the  names  of  the  towns,  and  electing  delegates  to  represent  them 
at  Hartford  in  making  laws. 

Hard  koppig  Piet  would  have  no  heresy  in  New  Netherlands,  but 
everybody  must  attend  the  Reformed  Church.  There  were  a  few  Luther 
ans  who  wished  to  worship  God  in  their  own  way. 

"I  shall  fine  every  one  of  you  twenty-five  pounds  for  every  offence," 
said  the  governor,  and  sent  their  minister  out  of  the  country. 

"You  must  have  your  children  baptized  in  the  Reformed  Church,"  he 
said  to  the  Lutherans,  and  when  they  refused  the  sheriff  marched  them 
to  prison.  The  Baptists  held  a  meeting;  bnt  the  governor  put  a  stop  to 

15 


226  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

that  sort  of  thing  by  fining  their  minister  one  thousand  pounds,  and  ban 
ishing  him  from  the  country. 

There  was  strict  law  in  Manhattan.  De  Sille,  who  acted  as  deputy- 
governor,  accused  a  man  of  stealing,  and  the  Court  sentenced  the  culprit 
to  be  whipped  and  banished.  Jan  Adamzen  slandered  his  neighbors,  and 
was  condemned  to  have  a  red-hot  iron  run  through  his  tongue,  and  be 
banished  from  the  country.  Wolfert  Weber  removed  a  pile  of  stones 
that  belonged  to  Nicholas  Verbuth.  Wolfert,  when  brought  before  the 
Court,  offered  to  replace  them  with  other  stones.  "  I  want  the  same 
stones,"  said  Nicholas ;  and  the  Court  ordered  Wolfert  to  carry  back  the 
same  stones  within  eight  days,  or  suffer  the  consequences. 

Robert  Hodgson  and  other  Quakers  came  to  New  Netherlands.  The 
governor  heard  of  their  arrival,  and,  to  nip  their  heresy  in  the  bud,  imposed 
a  tine  of  fifty  pounds  upon  any  one  who  might  give  shelter  to  a  Quaker 
for  a  night :  if  any  ship's  captain  brought  one  into  New  Netherlands,  his 
vessel  and  cargo  were  to  be  confiscated.  John  Chatterton  and  Henry 
Townsend  broke  the  law :  they  were  fined  five  hundred  guilders,  and 
sent  to  prison. 

Tobias  Feck  and  Edward  Hart  were  selectmen  of  Flushing,  and,  be 
cause  they  would  not  carry  out  the  governor's  order  against  the  Quakers, 
were  thrown  into  prison. 

Robert  Hodgson  was  arrested,  and  also  two  women,  one  with  a  babe 
in  her  arms.  The  sheriff  put  the  women  into  a  cart,  tied  Robert  to  its 
tail,  and  took  them  to  New  Amsterdam,  and  thrust  them  into  filthy  dun 
geons.  Robert  was  brought  before  the  judge  and  tried.  His  sentence 
was  in  Dutch,  of  which  he  did  not  understand  a  word,  but  was  told  that 
he  must  pay  six  hundred  guilders,  or  work  two  years,  with  a  negro,  chained 
to  a  wheelbarrow. 

Feeling  that  he  had  not  done  any  wrong,  he  refused  to  work ;  where 
upon  the  sheriff  ordered  a  negro  to  give  him  one  hundred  blows.  All 
day  long  he  was  chained  to  the  barrow.  At  night  he  was  put  into  a  dun 
geon,  and  in  the  morning  clfained  to  the  barrow,  but  he  would  not  work. 
The  next  morning  a  rope  was  tied  around  his  waist,  a  log  of  wood  to  his 
feet,  and  he  was  drawn  up  to  a  ring-bolt  overhead  till  he  could  not  touch 
the  floor  with  his  toes,  and  whipped  again— the  rope  cutting  great  gashes 
in  his  back,  and  the  blood  streaming  upon  the  floor.  After  two  days  he 
was  tied  up  again,  and  whipped  till  he  fainted  away.  Through  all  the 
cruel  scourging  he  had  sweet  peace  in  his  soul.  He  was  suffering  for  the 
truth,  as  he  believed.  The  governor's  sister  was  a  kind-hearted  woman, 
and  through  her  intercession  he  was  set  at  liberty. 


THE  END  OF  DUTCH  RULE  IN  AMERICA. 


227 


A  Quaker  visited  Long  Island,  and  held  a  meeting  in  Henry  Town- 
send's  house,  whereupon  Governor  Stuyvesant  sent  a  company  of  sol 
diers,  and  arrested  Mr.  Tovvnsend,  and  set  a  guard  to  prevent  any  more 
meetings. 

John  Brown,  of  Flushing,  suspected  of  being  a  Quaker,  was  fined  and 
banished  to  Holland ;  and  John  Tilton  and  his  wife  were  ordered  to  leave 
the  country. 

"  There  shall  be  no  religious  meetings  except  those  of  the  Reformed 
Church !"  was  the  governor's  proclamation. 

On  a  day  in  April,  1662,  John  Winthrop,  governor  of  Connecticut,  was 


rop  Houf e , 


ushered  into  the  king's  presence,  at  Whitehall,  London.  He  had  crossed 
the  ocean  to  obtain  a  charter  for  Connecticut.  He  had  written  it  out 
in  a  clear  hand,  and  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  an  audience  with 


228 


OLD  TIMES   IN   THE   COLONIES. 


Charles ;  for  Lord  Say-and-Seal,  keeper  of  the  king's  privy  seal,  and  the 
Earl  of  Manchester,  the  king's  chamberlain,  were  his  friends. 

Though  John  Winthrop's  home  in  Connecticut  was  a  plain   edifice, 


THK    DUTCHMAN    AT    HOME. 


though  he  lived  in  the  wilderness,  he  was  accustomed  to  good  society,  for 
he  had  been  educated  at  Cambridge,  in  England.  He  had  pleasing  wrays. 
He  wore  a  ring  of  curious  workmanship  upon  one  of  his  fingeis,  which 
he  gave  to  the  king. 

"Your  majesty's  grandmother,  Anne  of  Denmark,  gave  il  to  me. 
Shall  I  have  the  pleasure  of  presenting  it  to  your  majesty?" 

Charles  was  greatly  pleased.  What  could  he  do  for  Governor  Win- 
throp  in  return?  Governor  Winthrop  wanted  nothing  for  himself;  but 
the  people  of  Connecticut  had  no  charter,  and  if  his  majesty  would  but 
grant  one  it  would  be  a  generous  act,  certainly.  His  name  was  written 
upon  the  paper,  and  Connecticut  had  a  charter  as  a  separate  and  distinct 
colony,  with  jurisdiction  over  fhe  country,  bounded  north  by  Massaclui' 


THE   END   OF  DUTCH  RULE   IN  AMERICA. 


22U 


setts,  east  by  Narragansett  Bay,  south  by  Long  Island  Sound,  and  west 
by  the  Pacific  Ocean!  It  lapped  Connecticut  right  across  New  Nether 
lands.  The  English  were  crowding  the  Dutch  in  every  direction  ;  they 
were  taking  possession  of  Long  Island;  were  pushing  westward  from  the 
Connecticut  to  the  Hudson.  The  Dutch  were  good,  easy,  slow-going  peo 
ple,  who  loved  to  smoke  their  pipes,  thinking  of  nothing  in  particular, 
while  the  English  were  quick,  active,  hard-working.  The  English  who 
had  settled  in  the  territory  of  the  Dutch  gave  no  attention  to  Governor 
Stuyvesant's  commands.  They  paid  taxes  to  Connecticut.  Governor 
Stuyvesant  sent  Burgomaster  Van  Cortlandt  and  two  others  to  Hartford 
to  settle  matters.  Governor  Winthrop  showed  them  their  charter.  The 
Dutch  opened  their  eyes  wide :  they  were  astonished. 

"  If  your  province  extends  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  where  is  New  Neth 
erlands?"  they  asked. 

"  Really  we  do  not  know,"  said  the  Connecticut  men,  chuckling  in 
their  sleeves. 

"  We  made  a  treaty  with  you  in  1650  about  boundaries.  How  are  we 
to  regard  that  ?" 

"  Of  no  force  whatever — the  charter  has  abolished  it,"  said  the  Con 
necticut  men. 

It  was  a  little  matter  for  Charles  II.  to  sign  his  name  to  the  charter 
which  Governor  Winthrop  had  obtained,  and  it  was  just  as  easy  for  him 


THE    VAN    CORTLANDT    MANOR-HOUSE. 


to  sign  a  second  paper,  giving  his  brother  James,  the  Duke  of  York,  all 
the  country  from  Connecticut  River  to  the  Delaware.  James  wanted  it, 
and  Charles  gave  it  to  him.  Yery  little  did  Charles  care  for  the  Dutch, 


230  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

or  their  claim  to  the  country.  Sebastian  Cabot  discovered  and  sailed 
along  the  shores  a  hundred  years  before  the  Half  Moon  dropped  anchor 
in  the  Hudson.  Were  not  the  Dutch  interlopers  on  English  soil?  Their 
gift  to  the  Duke  of  York  included  more  than  half  of  the  territory  which 
Charles  had  just  given  to  the  people  of  Connecticut ;  but  what  of  that  ? 
Could  not  a  king  take  back  to-day  what  he  granted  yesterday?  Eng 
land  and  Holland  were  at  peace,  but  there  was  a  quarrel  going  on  between 
the  African  Company  of  England  and  the  West  India  Company  of  Hol 
land.  The  African  Company  was  composed  of  London  merchants,  lords, 
and  dukes.  James  had  an  interest  in  it,  and  they  were  trying  to  crowd  the 
Dutch  out  of  the  West  India  and  African  trade.  The  London  merchants 
wanted  to  control  the  trade  in  rum  and  slaves,  which  gave  rise  to  many 
fights  between  the  Dutch  and  English  sailors  on  the  coast  of  Africa. 
James  and  the  London  merchants  conceived  the  plan  of  taking  possession 
of  New  Netherlands.  Charles  furnished  ships  and  soldiers  to  carry  it  out. 

Little  did  the  West  India  Company,  or  any  one  else  in  Holland,  mis 
trust  what  was  in  the  wind  when  four  war-vessels,  with  four  hundred  and 
fifty  soldiers  on  board,  steered  west  for  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic. 

"  The  English  are  going  to  take  New  Netherlands !"  was  the  message 
which  Richard  Lord,  of  Lyme,  in  Connecticut,  sent  to  Thomas  Willet  in 
New  Amsterdam,  who  hastened  to  inform  Governor  Stuyvesant. 

There  was  a  sudden  assemblage  of  the  burgomasters  in  the  Stadt 
House.  The  treasury  was  empty,  but  Jeremias  Yan  Rensselaer  was  ready 
to  let  the  governor  have  all  the  money  he  wanted.  They  would  defend 
New  Amsterdam  to  the  last. 

"  The  King  of  England  has  sent  out  some  frigates  to  compel  the  peo 
ple  of  New  England  to  become  Episcopalians !"  was  the  word  brought  to 
New  Amsterdam  by  a  vessel  arriving  from  Holland. 

The  burgomasters  went  home,  and  Governor  Stuyvesant  sailed  up  the 
Hudson  to  look  after  matters  at  Fort  Orange. 

"  The  English  squadron  is  on  its  way  from  Boston  to  seize  the  city !" 
was  the  word  which  came  to  Stuyvesant,  and  he  hastened  back,  set  his 
slaves  to  thrashing  wheat  and  carting  it  to  the  fort.  He  was  in  dismay 
when  he  discovered  that  he  had  only  six  hundred  pounds  of  powder! 
besides,  the  reflection  came  to  him  that  all  the  English  in  the  province 
would  be  against  him.  He  could  muster  only  four  hundred  soldiers,  and 
they  were  poorly  armed ;  but  men  were  set  to  work  repairing  the  fort — 
he  would  defend  it  to  the  last. 

The  ships  of  the  Duke  of  York  sailed  into  the  harbor.  Richard 
Nichols,  commanding  the  troops,  sent  a  messenger,  demanding  the  sur- 


THE  END   OF  DUTCH  RULE  IN  AMERICA.  231 

render  of  New  Amsterdam.  Governor  Winthrop  was  on  board  the  fleet, 
and  sent  a  letter  promising  freedom,  security  of  property,  and  all  their 
old  privileges,  if  the  fort  was  surrendered. 

There  was  a  great  crowd  around  the  Stadt  House. 

"  Kead  the  letter  to  the  people,"  said  the  burgomasters,  who  did  not 
want  to  fight. 

"  I  will  not !"  the  governor  replied. 

"All  that  concerns  the  public  welfare  should  be  made  public,"  said 
Yan  Cortlandt. 

At  that  the  governor,  in  his  rage,  tore  the  letter  in  pieces.  The  bur 
gomasters,  with  lowering  brows,  turned  their  backs  upon  Hard  koppig 
Piet,  and  marched  out  of  the  chamber.  The  men  at  work  in  the  fort, 
hearing  what  the  governor  had  done,  threw  down  their  shovels,  rushed  to 
the  Stadt  House,  and  shook  their  fists  in  his  face. 

"  Give  us  the  letter  —  the  letter !"  they  shouted.  Nicholas  Bayard 
picked  up  the  pieces  of  paper,  laid  them  together,  and  read  the  letter  to 
the  people. 

Stuyvesant  wrote  a  letter  to  Nichols :  "  Let  us  discuss  the  question," 
he  said. 

"  I  shall  come  with  my  ships  and  soldiers  to  discuss  it,"  Nichols  re 
plied,  and  the  ships  sailed  in  nearer  the  fort. 

"  It  is  not  soldiership  to  attempt  to  hold  the  fort,"  said  Vice-governor 
De  Sille. 

"  I  am  governor.  I  am  here  to  defend  this  place,  and  I  will !"  said 
the  governor. 

The  soldiers  stood  ready  to  open  fire  on  the  English  ships. 

"It  is  madness,"  said  Dominie  Megapolensis,  laying  his  hand  on  the 
governor's  shoulder.  "  What  will  our  twenty  guns  do  against  the  sixty- 
two  cannon  of  the  ships?  There  is  no  help  for  you.  Pray  do  not  be 
the  first  to  shed  blood  !" 

"  There  is  a  paper  signed  by  seventy-three  of  the  principal  men,  be 
seeching  you  not  to  doom  the  city  to  ashes  " — a  burgomaster  handed  the 
governor  a  paper. 

His  lips  were  white ;  there  was  no  one  to  stand  by  him. 

"  I  had  rather  be  carried  to  my  grave !"  He  gulped  down  his  grief. 
The  struggle  of  a  brave  heart  was  over. 

"  Hoist  the  white  flag !"  he  said. 

A  little  later  the  flag  of  Holland  gave  place  to  the  cross  of  St.  George, 
and  New  Netherlands  took  the  name  of  New  York. 

Yery  low  down,  indeed,  is  that  man  who  will  not  resent  an  insult 


232 


OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


So  thought  the  people  of  Holland.     The  seizure  of  New  Netherlands  was 
not  by  a  lawless  company,  but  it  was  the  perfidious  action  of  the  English 

nation. 

James  was  Lord  High  Admiral— the  commander  of  all  the  fleets  of 
England.      Charles  had   supplied   him   with   ships,  sailors,  and   soldiers. 


HIS    LIPS    \VKKK    WHITE. 


The  people  of  Holland  had  once  cut  the  dikes,  letting  the  sea  in  upon 
their  towns  to  drive  out  the  Spaniards,  and  they  had  not  lost  their  high 
sense  of  honor.  They  declared  war  against  England,  which  raged  for 
three  years.  The  people  who  lived  along  the  southern  coast  of  England 
saw  the  fleets  of  the  two  countries  sail  up  and  down  the  Channel,  their 
sides  aflame,  cannon-balls  ripping  through  their  timbers,  masts  tottering, 
and  the  sea  strewn  with  wrecks  and  mangled  corpses. 

Admirals  Van  Tromp  and  De  Rnyter  commanded  the  Dutch  fleets, 
and  James,  Prince  Rupert,  and  the  Duke  of  Albemarle  the  English  fleets. 
One  of  the  English  commanders,  Admiral  Penn,  had  a  son  who,  instead 


THE   END   OF   DUTCH   RULE   IN   AMERICA.  233 

of  fighting,  was  attending  Quaker  meetings,  to  the  grief  of  the  admiral. 
We  shall  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  son  a  little  further  on. 

Terrible  the  conflicts!  Hundreds  of  ships  were  battered  to  pieces,  set 
on  fire,  blown  up,  or  sunk  with  all  on  board.  It  is  said  that  in  one  battle 
Admiral  Van  Tromp,  having  fired  away  all  his  shot,  kept  up  the  fight  by 
using  round  Dutch  cheeses  for  cannon-balls ! 

The  English  landed  on  the  coast  of  Holland,  and  set  the  towns  along 
the  shore  on  fire.  John  De  Witt,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the  Dutch  gov 
ernment,  determined  that  England  should  smart  for  it.  There  came  a  day 
when  the  people  of  London  stood  aghast,  for  they  could  hear  the  roaring 
of  cannon  down  the  Thames,  and  see  columns  of  black  smoke  rising  heav 
enward.  The  Dutch  fleet  was  there  making  sad  havoc  with  the  English 
vessels,  setting  the  shipping  on  fire,  capturing  four  frigates,  one  of  them 
the  Royal  Charles,  which  had  brought  Charles  across  the  Channel  in  1660. 

While  the  people  were  listening,  with  white  lips,  to  the  roar  of  thun 
der,  Charles  was  at  Greenwich,  with  a  heartless  crew  of  courtiers  around 
him,  playing  with  his  dogs,  and  saying  soft  things  to  the  frivolous  and 
voluptuous  women  who  kept  him  company. 

"Things  would  not  be  as  they  are  if  Oliver  Cromwell  were  living," 
said  the  people,  who  remembered  the  days  when  England  was  a  power  in 
the  world.  They  were  beginning  to  be  sick  of  Charles  and  the  fops 
around  him. 

Those  were  terrible  days  in  London  ;  seventy  thousand  people  had  just 
died  of  the  plague,  and  now  the  Dutch  were  destroying  the  shipping  and 
paralyzing  trade.  The  nation  was  paying  a  round  price  for  dancing  to 
the  tune  which  Charles  and  his  brother  James  were  playing.  A  few  days 
later  came  a  terrible  fire — thirteen  thousand  houses,  eighty-six  churches 
licked  up  by  the  flames,  and  two  hundred  thousand  homeless  people  wan 
dering  in  the  fields,  and  starving  beneath  hay-stacks  and  hedges. 

"  Now  that  the  rebellious  city  is  in  ruins,  the  king  can  have  his  own 
way,"  said  one  of  the  scapegrace  courtiers,  as  he  beheld  the  heaps  of  ashes, 
the  crumbled  chimneys  and  walls. 

The  city  had  opposed  Charles  I.  in  his  efforts  to  trample  out  the  peo 
ple's  liberties,  and  the  merchants  and  tradesmen  were  opposing  Charles 
II. ;  so  the  heartless  courtiers,  who  were  spending  their  time  in  idleness, 
living  upon  the  people's  bounty  to  the  king,  gloated  over  the  ruins. 

The  Dutch  sent  a  fleet  across  the  Atlantic,  and  once  more  the  flag  of 
Holland  floated  over  New  Amsterdam  for  a  short  time ;  but  when  peace 
came,  the  Dutch  gave  up  New  Netherlands  to  the  English,  who  thence 
forth  held  undisturbed  sway  from  Maine  to  Florida. 

8* 


234:  OLD   TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  TIMES  OF   CHARLES   II. 

THE  Commonwealth  in  England  was  at  an  end.  John  Pjm,  John 
Hampden,  John  Milton,  and  Oliver  Cromwell,  the  far-sighted,  strong- 
hearted,  liberty-loving  men  who  had  overthrown  Charles  I.,  were  dead. 
The  people  of  England  were  not  far  enough  advanced  in  their  idea  of 
liberty  to  govern  themselves.  Charles  II.  was  invited  to  come  to  Eng 
land  and  be  king.  He  had  been  long  in  exile  in  France.  Just  before 
crossing  the  Channel,  he  issued  a  proclamation  promising  pardon  for 
everybody,  so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  for  all  that  had  been  done  against 
his  father.  If  Parliament  should  decide  not  to  pardon  everybody,  that 
was  another  matter.  Parliament  was  to  be  free,  and  there  were  to  be  no 
more  persecutions  on  account  of  religion. 

The  vessel  which  brought  him  to  Dover  was  the  Naseby,  named  from 
the  battle-field  where  his  father  had  suffered  defeat.  He  renamed  it  the 
Royal  Charles.  He  ate  a  hearty  breakfast  of  pork  and  pease,  stepped  into 
a  boat,  and  was  rowed  to  the  shore,  all  the  cannon  thundering.  When  he 
landed,  the  Mayor  of  Dover  kneeled  at  his  feet  and  presented  a  Bible. 

"  I  love  it  better  than  anything  else  in  the  world,"  said  Charles ;  yet 
he  cared  very  little  for  the  Bible.  He  was  tall  and  swarthy,  gay,  careless, 
and  kind-hearted.  He  had  few  sober  thoughts.  He  loved  ease  and  pleas 
ure.  His  tastes  were  low  ;  his  life  impure.  He  was  a  scapegrace,  and  yet 
all  London  turned  out  to  welcome  him ;  bells  rung ;  bonfires  blazed.  It 
was  a  grand  holiday;  people  drank  wrine  and  beer  till  they  could  drink 
no  more,  and  were  wild  with  delight  to  think  that  they  had  once  more 
a  king. 

Charles  had  promised  pardon  to  offenders ;  but  Parliament  had  some 
thing  to  say.  Charles's  father  had  been  condemned  to  death  by  judges 
appointed  by  Parliament ;  but  twenty-five  of  them  were  dead.  Of  the 
living,  nineteen  fled  to  other  countries.  Two,  John  Goff  and  Edward 
Whalley,  secreted  themselves  on  a  ship  and  crossed  the  Atlantic. 

Twenty-nine  were  arrested  by  Charles's  sheriffs.     A  few  days  later,  as 


THE  TIMES   OF  CHARLES  II. 


235 


John  Evelyn  was  taking  a  walk  in  London,  he  saw  a  sight  that  made  him 
shudder — baskets  filled  with  the  mangled  bodies  of  some  of  the  judges, 
whom  the  executioners  had  hacked  to  pieces  at  Charing  Cross.  King 
Charles  was  seated  in  a  pavilion  and  gloated  over  the  scene. 

Cromwell  was  dead,  and  so  was  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Ireton,  and  Judge 
Bradshaw,  who  read  Charles's  condemnation.  They  had  been  buried  in 
Westminster  Abbey ;  but  the  king  had  the  bodies  torn  from  the  coffins 
and  hung  up  at  Tyburn,  from  nine  in  the  morning  till  sunset,  and  then 
taken  down  and  thrown  into  a  pit. 

Admiral  Blake  had  defeated  the  enemies  of  England  in  many  hard- 
fought  battles  on  the  sea,  but  Charles  had  his  body  taken  out  of  its  coffin 
and  burnt  in  St.  Margaret's  church-yard. 

There  had  been  no  May-poles,  no  wrestling-matches,  no  worrying  of 
bulls  with  dogs,  during  Cromwell's  time  ;  but  now  the  May -poles  were 
set  up,  and  bulls  were  worried  on  market-days.  For  twenty  years  there 
had  been  little  gambling;  but  gambling-houses  sprung  up  all  over  London. 
Charles  set  the  example.  Every  Sunday  evening  there  was  a  carousal  at 
Whitehall  Palace — Charles,  the  dukes,  earls,  lords,  and  ladies  of  the  court 
playing  cards,  winning  or  losing  great 
heaps  of  gold. 

During  the  Civil  War,  and  through 
Cromwell's  time,  men  and  women  dress 
ed  plainly ;  but  the  Cavaliers  took  great 
pleasure  in  adorning  themselves  with 
laces,  ruffles,  and  ribbons.  They  wore 
their  hair  long,  to  spite  the  "  Round 
heads,"  as  they  called  the  Puritans,  who 
cut  theirs  short.  The  Cavaliers  adorned 
their  hats  with  plumes. 

The  ladies  of  Charles's  court  adopted 
the  fashion  of  covering  their  faces  with 
patches.  It  is  said  that  one  lady  used 
court-plaster  to  cover  up  a  pimple,  that 
it  at  the  same  time  added  to  her  beauty ; 
that  from  such  a  beginning  the  fashion 
went  on,  till  the  cheeks  and  forehead 
were  covered  with  sun,  moon,  stars,  and 
fanciful  designs. 

The  court  of  the  king  was  gay,  friv 
olous,  and  wicked.  Charles  married  Catharine  of  Portugal — a  plain,  sim- 


A    CAVALIER,  TIME    OF    CHARLE8    II. 


236  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

pie-hearted  girl ;  but  he  cared  far  more  for  Lady  Castlemaine,  for  the 
actress  Nell  Gwynne,  and  a  vain,  false-hearted  woman  sent  out  by  Louis 
XIY.  of  France  to  exercise  her  fascinations  upon  the  foolish  king.     He 
was  so  completely  under  her  thumb  that  he  made 
her  Duchess  of  Portsmouth,  and  lavished  one  hun 
dred  and  thirty  thousand  pounds  upon  her  in  a 
single   year.      Never   was   there    such    drinking, 
swearing,  and  indecency  in  the  palace  of  the  king. 
Duchesses,  countesses,  ladies  of  the  bed-chamber 
— all  could  swear  great  oaths,  sing  indecent  songs, 
and  never  a  blush  come  upon  their  cheeks.    The 
Puritans  were  laughed  at,  scoffed,  ridiculed,  de 
spised,  and  contemptuously  treated.    Although  the 
king  said  he  loved  the  Bible  better  than  anything 
else  in   the  world,  he  cared  very  little  for  relig- 
PATCHES,  IN  THE  TIME  OP     jon>      He  was  determined,  however,  that  every- 
CHARLES  ii.  bod^  ghould  uge  the  prayer-book;  and  because 

the  Puritan  ministers  would  not  use  it,  more  than  two  thousand  of  them 
were  thrust  out  of  the  pulpits  on  St.  Bartholomew's  Day,  1662.  Parlia 
ment  passed  a  law  declaring  that  all  meetings  held  on  Sunday  by  those 
who  would  not  use  the  Prayer-book  were  seditious,  or  in  conspiracy  against 
the  government.  If  more  than  four  persons  were  present  in  such  an  as 
sembly,  it  was  sedition.  If  there  were  more  than  four  persons  in  a  fam 
ily,  there  could  be  no  blessing  asked  at  table. 

In  a  very  short  time  the  prisons  were  filled  with  Quakers  and  Puri 
tans.  One  was  a  poor  tinker,  who  used  to  travel  through  the  country 
mending  pots  and  pans.  He  was  very  profane  and  wicked,  but  became  a 
good  man,  and  went  to  preaching  to  his  associates  that  they  ought  to  lead 
purer  lives.  If  he  had  spent  his  time  in  gambling,  worrying  bulls,  or 
dancing,  the  bishops  would  not  have  thought  of  putting  him  in  prison  ; 
but  Charles  and  the  bishops  would  not  permit  any  praying  without  a 
Prayer-book,  and  so  one  morning  John  Bunyan  found  himself  in  Bed 
ford  jail,  where  he  was  kept,  half-starved,  for  twelve  years.  The  bishops 
thought  that,  by  so  doing,  they  would  stop  his  preaching ;  but  two  and  a 
quarter  centuries  have  rolled  away,  and  John  Bunyan  has  been  preaching 
through  all  the  years,  and  will  preach  on  to  the  end  of  time;  for  the  "Pil 
grim's  Progress,"  written  in  the  old  stone  prison  of  Bedford,  deals  with 
things  invisible  and  eternal.  Charles  and  the  bishops  are  dead,  but  John 
Bunyan  lives.  For  him  there  is  no  death. 

John  Goff  and  Edward  Whalley  reached  Boston.     Whalley  had  been 


THE   TIMES   OF   CHARLES   II.  237 

a  lieutenant-general,  and  Goff  a  major-general  in  Cromwell's  army.  They 
were  learned  and  agreeable  gentlemen.  They  stayed  in  Cambridge  until 
February,  1661 ;  but  the  king's  officers  were  on  their  tracks,  and  they 
went  to  New  Haven,  in  Connecticut,  and  stopped  with  Rev.  Mr.  Dan- 
forth.  Thomas  Kirke,  who,  a  few  years  later,  put  scores  of  men  and  wom- 


NELL   GWYNNE. — (FROM    A    PAINTING    BY    SIR   PETER    LELY. ) 

en  to  death  in  Scotland,  was  following  Goff  and  Whalley,  with  Thomas 
Kelland,  another  officer  appointed  by  Charles. 

They  called  upon  Governor  Winthrop  at  Hartford,  who  treated  them 
courteously,  not  because  he  wanted  to  aid  them,  but  because  they  were 
officers  of  the  king. 

u  General  Goff  and  General  Whalley  are  not  here,"  said  the  governor, 


238 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


NEW    HAVEN. 


and  the  officers  pushed  on  to  Milford,  and  called  upon  Deputy-governor 
Leet. 

"  We  would  like  to  confer  with  you  in  private.  We  are  on  the  track 
of  the  rascals ;  we  are  sure  that  they  are  here.  We  must  have  men  to 
help  us,"  they  said. 

"  The  gentlemen  whom  you  seek  have  been  here,  but  I  have  not  seen 
them  for  several  weeks.  I  do  not  believe  they  are  in  New  Haven.  Have 
you  authority  to  arrest  them  ?" 

"  Here  are  our  papers." 

Governor  Leet  began  to  read  them  aloud. 

"  Please  do  not  read  aloud ;  somebody  may  overhear,  and  get  wind  of 
our  business." 

But  the  governor  went  on  reading  aloud. 

"  I  must  consult  with  the  Council ;  for  this  is  a  grave  matter.  It  is 
late  to-night.  We  will  ride  to  New  Haven  in  the  morning,  and  call  the 
Council  together,"  said  the  governor. 


THE  TIMES   OF  CHARLES  II. 


239 


The  officers  went  to  bed ;  but  while  they  were  asleep  an  Indian  stole 
out  in  the  darkness,  and  ran  through  the  woods  to  New  Haven.  The 
governor  and  the  officers  rode  there  in  the  morning,  and  the  Council  met 
and  consulted  all  day. 

"  This  is  a  very  important  matter.  We  dare  not  act  without  calling 
the  Assembly,"  they  said. 

"  The  king  will  resent  any  concealment  of  such  archtraitors,"  said  the 
officers. 

"We  are  always  ready  to  honor  the  king,  but  we  have  tender  con< 
sciences,  and  we  must  let  the  Assembly  decide." 

The  commissioners  were  in  a  rage.  They  would  search  for  them 
selves,  and  ransacked  Mr.  Danforth's  house,  and  treated  him  rudely  be 
cause  he  had  befriended  the  refugees.  Mrs.  Eayers  had  given  them  shel 
ter,  and  the  officers  knocked  at  her  door.  Mrs.  Eayers  was  very  polite. 

Oh  yes !  she  knew  General  Whalley  and  General  Goff :  they  were 
very  courteous  gentlemen.  They  had  been  to  her  house,  and  she  hoped 
to  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  them  again.  These  may  not  be  her  ex- 


UNDER    THIS    BRIDGE  THE    JUDGES    WERE    CONCEALED. 

act  -words ;  but  Mrs.  Eayers  was  so  much  of  a  lady  that  the  officers  could 
not  think  of  searching  her  closets  to  see  if  the  refugees  were  there. 


24(/  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

The  officers  took  their  departure,  little  suspecting  that  the  two  men 
were  up-stairs  the  while.  But  they  could  stay  there  no  longer;  they  fled 
and  secreted  themselves  under  a  bridge,  and  not  long  after  heard  the 
hoofs  of  the  officers'  horses  upon  the  planks  above  them.  William  Jones 
concealed  them ;  but  the  officers  were  still  on  their  track,  and  they  found 
refuge  in  a  cave  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  which  they  named  "  Providence 
Hill."  The  pursuit  was  getting  hot,  and  again  they  disappeared;  which 
way  the  officers  could  not  discover.  They  were  completely  baffled,  and 
returned  to  England  denouncing  the  people  of  Connecticut  as  enemies 
of  the  king. 


THK   JUDGES    CAVE. 


KING  PHILIP'S   WAK.  241 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

KING    PHILIP'S    WAK. 

,  son  of  Massasoit,  was  chief  of  the  Wampano*g  Indians.  He 
lived  at  Mount  Hope,  near  Bristol,  Rhode  Island.  From  the  summit 
of  the  rounded  hill  he  could  look  out  upon  the  country  occupied  by 
his  tribe.  Northward  and  eastward  were  their  hunting-grounds;  south 
ward  were  the  calm  waters  of  Narragansett  Bay,  swarming  with  fish 
and  dotted  with  green  islands ;  westward,  beyond  the  bay,  was  the  coun 
try  of  the  Narragan setts. 

Philip  had  been  selling  his  land,  piece  by  piece,  to  the  English.  From 
his  wigwam  he  could  see  the  blue  smoke  curling  up  from  their  hearth 
stones  in  every  direction. 

The  English  in  New  England  never  took  the  lands  of  the  Indians 
without  paying  for  them.  It  was  not  much  that  they  paid ;  but  to  the 
Indians  the  glass  beads,  little  tinkling  bells,  the  knives  and  red  blankets 
of  the  white  men,  were  of  more  value  than  the  woods  and  meadows. 
They  were  only  children  in  their  ideas  of  property,  and  when  the  trinkets 
were  lost,  and  the  blankets  worn  to  rags — when  they  saw  that  the  lands 
remained,  that  there  were  gardens,  flowers,  fields  of  waving  grain,  where 
a  few  months  before  there  was  only  the  forest,  they  came  to  the  conclu 
sion  that  the  white  men  had  cheated  them.  They  could  no  longer  live 
by  hunting,  for  cattle  were  feeding  in  the  former  haunts  of  the  deer. 
They  ate  the  corn  which  the  squaws  had  planted. 

"  Build  a  fence  around  your  corn,"  said  the  white  men. 

"  Indian  no  build  fence,"  was  the  reply. 

Labor  was  degrading.     Squaws  might  work,  but  braves  never. 

"  You  give  us  rum,  and  when  we  are  drunk  you  cheat  us." 

The  white  men  laughed  in  their  sleeves,  for  they  knew  that  the  Indian 
would  part  with  everything  for  rum.  They  called  it  "Killdevil." 

Philip's  warriors  were  restless.  All  through  the  years,  from  1620  to 
1675,  they  had  not  been  to  war  save  with  the  Narragan setts.  There  was 
excitement  in  war,  bravery  and  daring  to  waylay  their  foes,  fall  upon 
16 


242 


OLD  TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 


them  in  ambush,  burn  their  dwellings,  split  their  skulls  with  the  toma 
hawk,  take  their  scalps,  humble  them  in  the  dust — that  was  worth  living 
for!  The  English  were  extending  their  laws  over  them.  If  one  Indian 
killed  another,  the  Boston  men  hung  the  murderer,  cut  off  his  head,  and 
placed  it  on  the  gibbet,  where  the  birds  could  pick  out  the  dead  man's 
eyes.  What  right  had  the  white  man  to  interfere  in  the  affairs  of  the 
Indian  ? 

From  1670  to  1675  there  were  reports  that  Philip  was  meditating  a 
war.  Many  things  occurred  to  lead  him  on.  Quite  likely  Philip  saw 
that  he  had  made  foolish  trades,  and  was  angry  with  himself.  The  white 
men  had  hung  one  of  his  men  for  murder:  they  had  demanded  that  the 
Indians  should  give  up  all  their  guns.  His  warriors  were  urging  him  to 


MOUNT    HOPE. 


fight;  if  he  did  not,  would  they  not  call  him  a  coward,  and  depose  him 
from  being  chief? 

All  the  Indian  tribes  from  Narragansett  Bay  to  Merrimac  Eiver  had 
recognized  his  father  as  their  great  chief;  would  they  not  look  with  con 
tempt  upon  him  if  he  remained  at  home  in  his  wigwam,  and  allowed  the 
white  men  to  overrun  the  country?  Is  it  any  wonder  that  he  sent  mes 
sengers  to  the  Kipmuck,  Karragansett,  Nashua,  and  other  tribes  to  see 
what  they  thought  about  matters?  It  is  not  quite  certain  that  Philip 
wanted  to  go  to  war.  He  is  represented  as  having  been  wily  and  blood 
thirsty,  but  that  does  not  appear  to  have  been  his  character.  He  was 


KING  PHILIP'S  WAR. 


243 


proud  and  haughty.     He  had  influence  over  other  tribes,  and  exercised  it ; 
but  it  is  not  clear  that  he  delighted  in  brutality. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  he  said,  when  he  heard  that  the  war  had  begun  ;  and 
this  was  the  way  it  began : 

John  Sassamon,  who  had  been  taught  to  read  and  write  by  John 
Eliot  at  Natick,  and  who  sometimes  wrote  letters  for  Philip,  informed 
the  white  men  that  the  Indians  were  planning  war.  For  giving  this  in 
formation  three  of  Philip's  men  killed  him,  and  put  his  body  under  the 
ice  in  Middleborough  pond,  whereupon  they  were  arrested  by  the  Boston 
men  and  one  of  them  hung,  which  greatly  angered  Philip's  men,  who 
killed  the  cattle  of  the  Swanzey  people.  They  did  not  fire  upon  the  set 
tlers  ;  they  waited  for  the  white  men  to  shed  the  first  blood,  believing 
what  their  medicine  men  told  them,  that  the  party  that  drew  the  first 
blood  would  be  beaten. 

It  was  on  June  19th,  1675,  that  a  Swanzey  man  fired  upon  an  Indian 
for  shooting  his  oxen,  and  wounded  him.  This  was  the  signal.  Blood 
had  been  shed  by  the  white  man,  who  would  be  vanquished  in  the 
struggle. 

Thursday,  June  24th,  was  fast-day. 
The  settlers  of  Swanzey  were  going 
home  from  meeting  in  the  afternoon, 
when  there  was  a  sudden  rattle  of  guns 
from  an  unseen  foe.  One  fell  dead, 
and  several  were  wounded.  Two  men 
who  went  for  the  doctor  to  dress  the 
wounds  were  killed.  When  night  closed, 
six  had  been  killed  and  many  wounded. 

Messengers  rode  in  haste  over  the 
country.  The  next  afternoon  drums 
were  beating  in  Boston,  and  the  beacon 
was  blazing  on  the  hill.  In  a  few 
hours  men  from  Boston,  Plymouth, 
and  other  towns  were  on  the  march. 
The  war  which  they  had  feared  had 
come  at  last ;  instead  of  peace  and  se 
curity,  there  were  alarm  and  terror. 

It  was  on  the  afternoon  of  Saturday  that  the  Dedham  men  started  for 
Swanzey.  That  night  there  was  an  eclipse  of  the  moon.  The  soldiers 
knew  very  little  about  eclipses.  The  moon  was  of  the  color  of  blood,  and 
there  was  one  dark  spot  which  looked  like  a  scalp.  As  the  eclipse  came 


KING   PHILIP. 


244  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

on  the  shape  of  the  moon  was  like  a  bow  when  the  arrow  is  about  to  fly. 
Such  the   superstition   and   imagination  as   they   marched  through   the 

gloomy  forest. 

Philip  was  not  at  Swanzey  when  his  men  began  the  war,  but  at  Mount 
Hope.  Captain  Thomas  Savage,  with  sixty  men  on  horses  and  sixty  on 
foot,  marched  directly  to  Mount  Hope,  and  came  so  suddenly  upon  Philip, 
who  was  at  dinner  in  his  wigwam,  that  he  barely  escaped  capture.  Cap 
tain  Savage  killed  fifteen  Indians,  took  all  of  Philip's  cattle  and  hogs, 
and  destroyed  his  cornfield.  In  front  of  his  wigwam  were  the  heads 
of  eight  white  men  on  poles ;  but  in  Boston,  on  the  cross-beams  of  the 
gibbet,  were  the  skulls  of  Indians  and  murderers  bleaching  in  the  sum 
mer  sun.  Philip  was  no  more  brutal  in  that  respect  than  the  people  in 
Boston,  London,  and  Paris.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  time. 

Captain  Moseley,  of  Boston,  with  one  hundred  and  ten  men,  had  a 
fiwht  near  Swanzev,  in  which  several  Indians  were  killed. 

O  •/  * 

Lieutenant  Oaks,  in  command  of  a  party,  killed  three  Indians,  whose 
scalps  were  sent  to  Boston.  Captain  Church  went  to  Pocasset,  now  Tiv- 
erton,  Ehode  Island,  across  the  narrow  arm  of  Narragansett  Bay,  ea&t  of 
Mount  Hope.  He  had  thirty-six  men,  and  found  himself  suddenly  at 
tacked  by  three  hundred  Indians.  He  retreated  to  the  water-side,  piled 
flat  stones  one  upon  another,  and  built  a  barricade,  and  fought  till  Cap 
tain  Golding  came  to  his  relief  in  a  sloop.  The  sloop  could  not  come  to 
the  shore,  and  the  canoe  that  plied  between  the  shore  and  the  vessel  could 
only  carry  two  at  a  time.  Church  was  the  last  to  go.  A  bullet  grazed 
his  hair;  another  struck  a  stake  in  front  of  him  ;  two  passed  through  the 
canoe ;  they  riddled  the  sail  of  the  sloop,  but  not  a  man  was  killed. 

Philip,  having  been  driven  from  Mount  Hope,  began  the  war  in  ear 
nest.  On  the  14th  of  July  he  fell  upon  Mendon,  killed  five  white  men, 
and  burnt  the  houses. 

There  was  one  tribe  that  he  could  not  prevail  upon  to  join  him — 
the  Mohegans.  Uncas  was  still  alive.  He  was  Philip's  rival.  He  had 
seen  Sassacus  and  the  Pequods  destroyed ;  and  now  in  his  old  age  he 
would  renew  his  alliance  with  the  white  men,  who  would  soon  vanquish 
the  Wampanoags. 

He  sent  his  two  sons  with  a  party  of  warriors  to  Boston,  offering  to 
fight  against  Philip.  They  were  of  great  service  in  piloting  the  white 
men  through  the  forests. 

The  Indians  attacked  Brookfield,  Massachusetts.  Eighty  settlers  fled 
to  the  garrison-house,  which  was  built  of  logs,  and  loop-holed.  The  In 
dians  set  the  other  houses  on  fire,  and  then  attacked  the  garrison,  shelter- 


KING  PHILIP'S  WAR. 


245 


ing  themselves  behind  trees  and  fences.  They  crept  through  the  grass 
on  their  bellies ;  but  there  were  sudden  flashes  at  the  loop-holes,  and  In 
dian  after  Indian  was  killed.  There  were  six  or  seven  hundred  of  them, 
who  howled  like  wolves  hungry  for  their  prey.  Not  to  be  thwarted,  they 
obtained  a  cart,  piled  bundles  of  flax  upon  it,  sheltered  themselves  behind 
it,  set  the  flax  on  fire,  and  wheeled  the  cart  toward  the  house.  There 
were  flashes  at  the  loop-holes ;  one  by  one  the  Indians  fell.  The  build 
ing  was  on  fire ;  but  one  of  the  brave  settlers  ran  out  and  extinguished 
it,  the  balls  rattling  round  him  like  hail.  Soon  after  the  hearts  of  the 
settlers  were  gladdened  by  the  arrival  of  Major  Willard  and  a  party  of 
eoldiers,  who  came  to  their  relief.  They  found  eighty  dead  Indians. 


FIGHT    AT    TIVEKTON. 


The  Narragansetts  had  joined  Philip.  They  built  a  strong  fort  in  a 
swamp,  which  had  only  one  entrance  over  a  log  across  a  brook.  In  the 
fort  were  their  wives  and  children,  their  stores  of  corn  and  acorns,  which 
the  women  had  gathered  while  the  warriors  were  on  the  war-path. 
There  were  five  hundred  wigwams  within  the  enclosure,  and  nearly  three 
thousand  Indians. 

The  colonies  united  to  strike  a  blow  which  the  Indians  would  feel. 
Massachusetts  sent  five  hundred  and  twenty-seven  men  ;  Plymouth  one 
hundred  and  fifty-eight ;  Connecticut  three  hundred  and  fifteen.  Vol 
unteers  from  Rhode  Island  joined,  which,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty 


246 


OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


ONLY  ONE  ENTRANCE  ACROSS  A  LOG. 


Mohegan  Indians,  made  the  largest  army  ever  assembled  in  America  at 
that  time — numbering  more  than  eleven  hundred. 

It  is  Sabbath  morning,  December  19th.  The  troops  have  slept  on  the 
snow,  making  their  beds  of  hemlock  boughs.  They  eat  breakfast  before 
daylight,  and  are  on  the  march  before  the  sun  rises.  Governor  Winslow 
is  commander;  by  his  side  is  Captain  Church.  The  fort  is  fifteen  miles 
distant,  but  they  reach  it  by  one  o'clock.  An  Indian  who  has  been  in  the 
fort  pilots  them,  and  tells  them  that  it  is  very  strong ;  that  it  encloses 
several  acres ;  that  there  is  a  high  palisade,  and  that  trees  and  brush  have 
been  laid  against  the  walls ;  that  there  is  only  the  one  entrance  across  the 
log,  which  will  be  swept  by  the  fire  of  the  Indians. 

The  army  forms.  The  men  who  are  to  lead  the  attack  know  that 
death  is  certain ;  but  there  is  no  flinching.  They  remember  the  desolate 
homes ;  the  murdered  men,  women,  and  children  all  along  the  frontier. 
They  have  come  to  be  avenged ;  to  fight,  to  die,  if  need  be.  They  rush 
toward  the  log.  The  walls  of  the  fort  blaze,  and  the  men  upon  the  log 
go  down.  Others  take  their  places ;  they  too  fall,  men  and  officers  to 
gether — six  captains,  one  after  another.  But  the  white  men  are  so  deter 
mined,  there  are  so  many  of  them,  that  the  Indians  cannot  load  their  guns 
quick  enough  to  keep  them  back.  They  run  across  the  log,  gather  upon 
the  opposite  bank,  and  rush  to  the  fort,  and  swarm  inside  the  enclosure, 
pouring  their  fire  upon  the  astonished  Indians.  Now  comes  the  hand- 


KING  PHILIP'S  WAR.  247 

to-hand  fight — the  white  men  using  their  swords  and  hatchets,  the  In 
dians  their  tomahawks.  It  is  the  fight  of  civilization  against  barbarism  ; 
power  against  weakness ;  the  Future  against  the  Past.  The  Past  goes 
down  in  the  terrific  straggle.  The  Indian  warriors  flee  to  the  other  side 
of  the  fort,  leap  over  the  wall,  and  disappear  in  the  forest,  leaving  their 
wives  and  children  in  the  wigwams.  Nearly  four  hundred  of  the  white 
men  have  been  killed  or  wounded.  The  infuriated  soldiers  will  have 
their  revenge :  they  set  the  wigwams  on  fire.  Captain  Church  protests 
against  it.  "  We  can  live  on  their  corn,  and  make  our  wounded  comfort 
able,"  he  says. 

But  the  blood  of  the  soldiers  is  up,  and  they  will  not  listen  to  rea 
son  ;  and  as  the  sun  goes  down  the  flames  of  the  burning  wigwams  illu 
mine  the  wintry  sky,  and  night  closes  in  upon  the  ghastly  scene  of  three 
hundred  blackened  corpses  roasting  in  the  flames,  and  upon  the  dying 
and  the  dead  slain  in  battle. 

The  troops  bearing  their  wounded  take  up  their  line  of  march.  A 
storm  has  risen.  Snow  is  falling,  and  the  chill  wind  sweeps  through  the 
forest.  Many  of  the  wounded  die,  and  the  snow  is  their  winding-sheet. 
They  reach  their  rendezvous  in  the  morning.  Their  victory  has  been 
dearly  bought ;  but  they  have  accomplished  their  object — the  wiping  out 
of  the  Narragansett  nation. 

Out  in  the  forest  are  the  Indians.  It  is  a  terrible  night  to  them ; 
their  stronghold  lost;  their  wives  and  children  massacred  or  burnt  to 
death ;  their  provisions  gone.  Nothing  left  but  eternal  hate.  The  white 
man  shall  suffer — the  Indian  will  have  his  revenge. 

The  war  goes  on  ;  Canonicus,  chief  of  the  Narragansetts,  is  captured. 

"  We  will  spare  your  life  if  you  will  procure  a  treaty  of  peace,"  said 
his  captors. 

"  The  Indians  never  will  cease  fighting,"  he  replied. 

"  You  are  condemned  to  death." 

"  I  like  it.  I  shall  die  before  I  speak  anything  unworthy  of  myself," 
is  the  heroic  reply. 

Lancaster,  Medfield,  Weymouth,  Groton,  and  Marlborough,  in  Massa 
chusetts,  were  burnt  by  the  Indians.  In  Rhode  Island,  Providence  and 
Warwick.  From  the  east  Philip  went  west  to  attack  the  towns  on  the 
Connecticut — Springfield,  Hadley,  Hatfield,  Deerfieid,  and  Northampton. 

It  is  fast-day  in  Hadley,  and  the  people  are  attending  meeting.  They 
hear  the  war-whoop  of  the  Indians ;  behold  their  houses  in  flames,  and 
their  wives  and  children  fleeing  along  the  street,  and  rally  to  their  defence. 

Suddenly  an  old  man  with  long  white  beard  appears  among   them, 


248 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


directing  them.  He  is  brave,  cool,  collected.  He  speaks  with  authority. 
The  Indians  are  driven  off,  and  the  white-haired  man  disappears.  Who 
is  he?  None  know.  They  think  of  him  as  God's  angel  sent  for  their 
deliverance.  Years  go  by  before  they  learn  that  it  was  one  of  the  men 
who  sat  in  judgment  upon  King  Charles — William  Goff,  who  has  been 
secreted,  with  Edward  Whalley,  in  the  house  of  the  minister,  Rev.  Mr. 

Russell. 

All  through  the  summer  of  1676  the  war  goes  on.     Philip  sees  that 
his  men  are  being  killed,  that  his  power  is  waning.     He  tries  to  enlist 


DEATH    OF    PHILIP. 


the  Mohawks,  but  they  will  not  listen  to  his  proposal.  He  can  only  ob 
tain  powder  from  the  French  in  Canada  or  Acadia.  He  will  not  hear  of 
peace,  and  kills  one  of  his  followers  who  makes  the  suggestion. 

Revenge !  How  sweet  to  gratify  it !  How  many  great  plans  have 
been  upset  by  it ! 

The  Indian  struck  down  by  Philip  in  his  anger  had  a  brother,  who, 
when  he  saw  the  tomahawk  crash  through  the  skull  of  the  murdered 
man,  determined  to  have  his  revenge.  No  longer  would  he  recognize 
Philip  as  chief,  no  longer  be  a  friend,  but  a  bitter,  unrelenting  enemy. 
In  the  darkness  of  the  night  he  stole  away  to  give  himself  up  to  the 
English — to  lead  them  on  the  track  of  Philip. 

Captain  Church  captures  Philip's  wife  and  child  ;  this  is  a  sad  blow. 


KING  PHILIP'S  WAR.  249 

"  My  heart  breaks !  I  ain  ready  to  die,"  said  the  chief.  His  warriors 
were  disheartened;  there  were  only  a  few  left.  He  had  carried  desola 
tion  to  the  whites :  he  had  fought  bravely,  but  the  struggle  was  over. 
Never  again  could  he  rally  his  followers.  An  archangel's  trumpet  only 
could  summon  them  from  their  graves.  Those  who  remained  were  plot 
ting  against  him.  He  was  disheartened.  The  white  men  had  sold  his 
wife  and  child  into  slavery  in  Bermuda.  Broken  in  spirit,  he  returns 
once  more  to  his  old  home,  Mount  Hope.  The  avenger  is  on  his  track. 
On  Saturday  morning,  August  12th,  Captain  Church  arid  Captain  Gold- 
ing,  with  their  men,  surround  a  swamp  in  which  Philip  has  concealed 
himself.  He  is  awakened  by  the  footsteps  of  the  soldiers,  springs  to  his 
feet,  and  dashes  through  the  forest. 

Caleb  Cook  and  the  avenger  stand  side  by  side ;  Cook's  gun  misses  fire, 
but  the  Indian  sends  a  bullet  through  Philip's  heart,  and  then  with  his 
hatchet  chops  off  his  head  and  bears  it  in  triumph  to  Plymouth,  where 
it  is  set  upon  the  top  of  the  gallows.  The  Indian  is  avenged  upon  his 
dead  brother ;  and  so  perishes  the  son  of  Massasoit — the  last  chief  of  the 
Wampanoags. 

The  once  powerful  tribe  was  extinct ;  those  who  escaped  joined  other 
tribes  —  quite  a  number  casting  in  their  lot  with  the  Indians  in  New 
Hampshire  and  Maine,  who  had  been  committing  depredations  upon  the 
English,  killing  settlers  at  Dover,  Exeter,  and  Berwick. 

The  Governor  of  Massachusetts  sent  one  hundred  and  thirty  men  to 
Dover  to  arrest  the  murderers,  and  make  a  new  treaty  of  peace.  Major 
Waldron  sent  word  to  all  the  well-disposed  Indians  to  come  to  the  garri 
son.  He  was  well  known  to  the  savages,  who  put  faith  in  him.  The 
dusky  warriors  assembled,  and  with  them  the  Pequods.  How  shall  they 
be  seized?  Major  Waldron  proposes  to  the  Indians  to  have  a  sham 
fight. 

"  You  shall  fire  first  blank  cartridges,"  he  says. 

The  parties  divide;  the  Indians  fire;  their  guns  are  empty.  In  an 
instant  the  troop  closes  around  them,  and  they  are  prisoners.  Two  hun 
dred  of  them  are  sent  to  Boston,  and  from  thence  to  the  West  Indies,  to 
be  sold  as  slaves.  It  is  a  perfidious,  cruel  act.  Will  the  Indian  forget  it  ? 
He  will  bide  his  time ! 

One  Indian  escaped,  and  ran  into  the  house  of  Elizabeth  Heard,  who 
secreted  him  till  the  soldiers  were  gone.  It  is  an  act  of  kindness  which 
the  Indian  will  never  forget. 

It  has  been  a  costly  war  to  the  English ;  thirteen  towns  have  been 
burnt.  More  than  six  hundred  men  have  been  killed  in  battles;  many 


250  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

have  been  maimed  for  life ;  and  the  colonies  are  burdened  with  a  debt  of 
more  than  half  a  million  of  dollars.  There  is  grief  in  every  household, 
and  distress  everywhere.  Starvation  stares  them  in  the  face.  Connecti 
cut  has  not  felt  the  desolation ;  and  the  people  of  that  colony  generously 
contribute  one  thousand  bushels  of  corn,  which  is  sent  to  Massachusetts 
to  be  distributed  among  the  needy. 


LOUIS  FRONTENAC  IN  CANADA. 


251 


CHAPTEE  XIX. 

LOUIS  FRONTENAC  IN   CANADA. 


ON  a  summer  day  in  1672  Louis  Frontenac,  fifty-two  years  of  age,  just 
arrived  from  France,  stepped  on  shore  at  Quebec — the  first  governor- 
general  of  Canada.     Sixty  years  had  rolled  away  since  Champlain  erected 
the  first  house  in  Canada,  and  so  slow  had  been  the  emigration  that  there 


COLBERT. 


252 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


were  not  more   than   three   or  four  thousand  Frenchmen  in  the  New 
World. 

There  had  been  civil  war  in  France,  but  peace  had  come.  Louis  XIY. 
was  king.  Colbert  was  his  prime -minister.  He  saw  that  the  English 
were  settling  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  that  the  Dutch  were  driving  a 


A    TRAPPER    GOING    HIS    ROUNDS. 


profitable  trade  on  the  Hudson  with  the  Indians ;  that  Spain  had  colo 
nized  the  West  Indies  and  Mexico,  were  masters  of  South  America,  and 
had  a  foothold  in  Florida ;  while  France  had  done  very  little  toward  de 
veloping  the  vast  empire,  extending  from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  to 
Mexico,  and  westward  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

The  energetic  prime -minister  selected  Count  Frontenac  to  manage 
matters  in  New  France.     We  may  think  of  Frontenac  as  turning  over  in 


LOUIS  FRONTENAC  IN  CANADA. 


253 


his  mind  the  work  before  him,  the  helps  and  hinderances.  As  he  spreads 
out  the  map  which  the  geographers  have  made,  he  sees  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  the  lakes,  the  Ohio,  Illinois,  and  Mississippi  rivers,  and  their  tribu- 


LOUIS    XIV. 


taries,  forming  natural  highways,  by  which  the  coureurs  de  ~bois — the 
rangers  of  the  woods,  as  they  are  called,  half  Indian  and  half  French — 
jre.ach  every  section  of  the  vast  domain. 


254:  OLD  TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 

He  sees  that  the  English  have  no  such  great  natural  routes  for  travel, 
that  all  the  rivers  emptying  into  the  Atlantic  have  their  sources  in  the 
great  mountain  range,  extending  from  the  White  Mountains,  in  New 
Hampshire,  to  Alabama.  The  mountain  range  is  a  barrier  which  nature 
has  established  between  the  Atlantic  slope  and  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
In  the  valley  of  that  river,  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  and  upon  the 
broad  prairies  of  Illinois,  the  peasants  oj:  New  France  could  rear  their 
homes. 

The  king — who  came  to  the  throne  when  he  was  but  four  years  old- 
Louis  XIV.,  whose  armies  had  won  great  victories,  would  give  men  and 
money.  The  Church  of  Rome  would  aid.  The  priests  of  St.  Francis 
and  the  Jesuits  had  been  among  the  Indians  of  the  Great  West,  enlisting 
them  on  the  side  of  France,  and  against  the  Dutch  and  English.  The 
Dutch  traders  had  never  been  beyond  Niagara,  while  the  French  every 
year  were  chaffering  with  the  Indians  at  Mackinac  and  on  the  Mississippi. 

All  the  Indians  had  been  won  to  the  side  of  France  except  the  Iro- 
quois,  who  had  never  forgotten  that  their  fathers  had  been  driven  from 
the  St.  Lawrence,  nor  that  Champlain  fought  against  them  many  moons 
before.  Jean  de  Lamberville,  a  Jesuit  missionary,  was  living  with  the 
Onondagas,  trying  to  convert  them  to  Christianity,  and  to  call  Louis  XIV. 
their  great  father ;  but  the  warriors,  who  had  carried  their  victorious  arms 
to  Tennessee,  who  had  compelled  the  Illinois  to  pay  them  tribute,  would 
call  him  brother  only  ;  never  father. 

Years  before  they  had  buried  a  hatchet  with  the  Dutch  beneath  a 
great  tree  at  Albany ;  the  Dutch  had  treated  them  kindly,  and  would  pay 
them  twice  as  much  for  beaver -skins  as  the  Canadian  traders.  Count 
Frontenac  might  give  them  presents,  speak  honeyed  words,  make  large 
promises  of  friendship,  but  he  could  not  make  them  his  allies ;  the  old 
grudge  would  always  be  kept  in  remembrance,  but  never  would  they 
resign  their  independence. 

On  what  foundations  shall  the  empire  of  France  in  the  Western 
World  be  constructed — on  the  natural  rights  of  man  ?  No ;  for  neither 
the  king,  the  Romish  Church,  nor  the  Jesuits  have  any  conception  of  nat 
ural  rights. 

"I  am  the  State,"  shouts  Louis  XIV.,  striking  his  hand  upon. his 
breast.  Neither  in  France  nor  in  Canada  can  the  people  have  a  voice  in 
public  affairs.  Pope,  bishop,  and  priest  alone  have  the  right  to  say  what 
men  shall  believe,  or  how  they  shall  worship.  There  shall  be  no  schools, 
unless  taught  by  priests  and  nuns. 

The  government  which  Count  Frontenac  established  consisted  of  him- 


LOUIS   FRONTENAC   IN   CANADA. 


255 


self,  the  Interidant,  the  man  who  had  charge  of  the  trade,  the  bishop,  the 
attorney-general,  and  five  councillors.  These  nine  men  made  the  laws. 
They  divided  the  land  into  great  estates,  called  seigniories.  The  owners, 
who  called  themselves  seigniors,  or  noblemen,  rented  it  to  the  farmers, 
who  had  nothing  to  do  with  government  except  to  pay  the  taxes. 

Count  Frontenac  does  not  see  that  such  a  system  of  government  will 


THE    RIVAL    COMPANIES    SOLICITING    TKADE. 


end  in  failure ;  but  he  will  learn  by-and-by  that  in  the  New  World  the 
instinctive  love  of  freedom  which  exists  in  every  human  heart  will  make 
itself  manifest ;  that  the  woods,  the  vast  reaches  of  country,  the  influences 
of  nature,  will  awaken  new  thoughts  and  aspirations  in  the  minds  of  men. 
The  king  will  be  far  away.  Count  Frontenac  wrill  have  no  army  to  en 
force  the  laws  which  he  and  the  other  eight  men  may  make ;  his  subor- 


256  OLD  TIMES   IN   THE   COLONIES. 

dinate  officers  will  grasp  all  the  money  they  can  as  it  passes  through  their 
hands ;  there  will  be  quarrels  between  the  governor  and  the  intendant, 
between  the  governor  and  the  bishop.  The  Jesuits  will  attempt  to  con 
trol  affairs.  These  are  some  of  the  obstacles  to  the  building  up  of  the 
new  empire  which  he  will  encounter. 

For  ten  years  Count  Frontenac  labored.  Ship-load  after  ship-load  of 
emigrants  arrived  from  France,  but  the  intendant  thwarted  his  plans. 
The  bishop  quarrelled  with  him.  The  Iroquois  would  not  be  cajoled; 
and  in  1682  he  went  back  to  France.  Governor  De  la  Barre  succeeded 
him,  but,  after  serving  three  years,  was  succeeded  by  Denonville. 

The  Iroquois  had  been  at  war  with  other  Indians.  They  had  con 
quered  tribes  in  Virginia,  compelling  them  to  become  Iroquois.  They 
paddled  along  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  through  lakes  Huron  and 
Michigan,  to  the  terror  of  the  Hurons ;  invaded  Illinois,  wiped  oat  the 
war-parties  of  their  enemies ;  returned  with  hundreds  of  prisoners,  and 
boats  filled  with  beaver-skins,  which  the  fur-traders  of  Canada  had  pur 
chased,  and  which  they  had  captured.  They  were  ruining  the  fur-trade 
of  Canada.  "  Capture  the  Iroquois,  and  send  them  as  slaves  to  France," 
was  the  word  which  Louis  XIV.  sent  to  Denonville.  The  new  governor, 
who  read  his  prayer-book  a  great  deal,  but  who  knew  very  little  about  the 
Iroquois,  determined  to  punish  the  haughty  tribes  who  were  carrying 
things  with  so  high  a  hand. 

Near  the  outlet  of  Lake  Ontario  were  some  Indians  related  to  the  Iro 
quois.  Governor  Denonville  invited  them  to  come  to  Fort  Frontenac 
and  have  a  feast.  They  accepted  the  invitation ;  but  when  they  were  in 
side  the  fort,  he  seized  them  all — thirty  men,  ninety  women  and  children — 
and  sent  out  a  party,  who  returned  with  eighteen  more  warriors,  and  sixty 
women  and  children.  He  had  them  baptized,  and  the  men  sent  as  slaves 
to  France.  He  summoned  the  tribes  from  the  West — from  lakes  Huron, 
Michigan,  and  Illinois — to  come  and  be  revenged  upon  their  enemies.  A 
few  weeks  later  a  great  fleet  of  canoes  came  down  from  the  upper  lakes 
filled  with  dusky  warriors. 

On  a  bright  sunny  day,  July,  1687,  the  warriors  from  the  St.  Law 
rence,  from  the  shores  of  Michigan  and  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  drew 
their  canoes  on  shore  in  Irondequoit  Bay,  Lake  Ontario,  north-east  of 
Kochester,  New  York.  Never  before  had  there  been  such  an  army  in  the 
service  of  Louis  XIV. — soldiers  in  the  uniforms  of  the  king ;  officers,  who 
had  danced  at  Versailles ;  Jesuit  priests,  who  had  threaded  the  Far  West 
ern  wilds,  educated  in  the  seminaries  of  the  Old  World,  yet  becoming 
savage  in  their  modes  of  life,  that  they  may  win  the  heathens  to  the 


LOUIS  FRONTENAC   IN  CANADA.  257 

Church ;  Indians  in  war-paint  and  feathers,  wearing  skins  of  the  buffalo, 
the  horns  branching  from  their  foreheads,  the  tails  trailing  upon  the 
earth,  wielding  their  tomahawks,  brandishing  their  scalping-knives  around 
the  camp-fires  at  night,  as  they  rehearse  the  deeds  of  daring  they  will  un 
dertake  to  destroy  their  haughty  enemies. 

The  chief  town  of  the  Senecas  is  only  fifteen  miles  away,  and  a  broad 
path  leads  to  it.  Governor  Denonville  resolves  that  it  shall  be  a  heap 
of  ashes ;  that  the  waving  fields  of  corn  shall  be  cut  down ;  that  the 
haughty  tribes  shall  be  brought  into  subjection.  The  army  of  two  thou 
sand  French  and  Indians  marches  southward.  The  day  is  hot  and  sultry. 
The  French  officers  pant  beneath  the  terrible  heat.  Scouts,  who  have 
been  reconnoitring  around  the  village,  report  that  no  warriors  are  to  be 
seen — only  a  few  squaws.  The  invaders  pass  through  a  defile,  but  no 
Iroquois  are  in  ambush;  they  pass  a  second  defile,  but  no  war-whoop 
resounds  through  the  forest.  Their  enemies  must  have  fled  in  terror. 
They  reach  the  third,  pass  through  it  in  haste,  pressing  on  to  surprise  the 
town.  Suddenly  a  yell,  fiercer  than  the  howl  of  a  thousand  wolves,  breaks 
the  stillness.  Guns  flash  in  their  faces  and  upon  their  flanks.  The  Iro 
quois  spring  from  the  ground,  confronting  them  with  defiant  shouts. 
Some  of  the  French  officers  fall  flat  upon  the  earth,  terror-stricken  by  the 
sudden  apparition.  The  air  is  thick  with  flying  arrows.  Governor  De 
nonville  is  brave ;  he  encourages  his  men,  orders  the  drums  to  beat,  and 
stops  the  soldiers  who  start  to  run.  The  Canadian  Indians  leap  from  tree 
to  tree,  and  exchange  shots  with  their  old  enemies.  For  a  few  minutes  the 
battle  rages,  and  then  the  Senecas,  who  are  only  three  hundred,  disappear, 
carrying  their  wounded  and  some  of  their  dead.  Six  French  were  killed, 
and  thirty  wounded.  The  Senecas  had  thirty  or  more  killed,  and  sixty 
wounded.  In  the  morning  the  army  marched  on  to  destroy  the  town, 
but  found  only  a  heap  of  ashes ;  the  Senecas  themselves  burnt  it  several 
days  before,  and  had  retired  southward,  with  their  wives  and  children. 
Governor  Denonville  could  only  destroy  their  corn.  Having  done  that, 
he  went  back  to  the  lake,  dismissed  his  allies  from  the  Far  West,  and  re 
turned  to  Montreal,  after  building  a  fort  near  Niagara  Falls.  In  a  few 
days  the  Senecas  were  back  again  building  new  wigwams. 

"  If  you  overturn  a  wasp's  nest,  you  must  kill  the  wasp,  or  you  will 
get  stung !"  said  an  Indian  to  Governor  Denonville,  on  his  way  back  to 
the  lake.  Denonville  discovered  after  awhile  that  the  wasp  had  stings. 

Dongan  was  Governor  of  New  York.  He  invited  the  Iroquois  to 
meet  him  in  council,  and  the  chiefs  came  to  Albany. 

"You  are  subjects  of  King  James,"  he  said;  "you  must  not  make 
17 


258  OLD  TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 

treaties  with  the  French  without  my  consent.  You  ought  to  drive  the 
French  out  of  the  West,  so  that  you  can  get  all  the  beaver-skins  from 
that  section.  You  ought  not  to  let  the  Jesuits  live  among  you." 

"We  will  fight  the  French  as  long  as  we  have  a  warrior  left,"  replied 
the  Iroquois. 

They  went  back  to  their  homes  with  presents,  with  the  promise  of  the 
governor  that  the  King  of  England  would  stand  by  them  in  their  struggle 
against  the  French. 

Fifteen  hundred  of  them  stole  along  Lake  Champlain,  paddling  their 
canoes  by  night,  secreting  themselves  in  the  forest  during  the  day.  On 
the  morning  of  August  5th,  1689,  they  crawled  on  their  hands  and  knees 
into  the  village  of  Lachine,  six  miles  from  Montreal.  Just  as  the  robins 
and  swallows  were  singing  their  songs  in  the  early  summer  morning,  the 
terrible  war-whoop  rung  through  the  settlement,  and  the  butchery  began. 
There  were  three  forts  near  by,  from  which  the  soldiers  looked  out  and 
saw  the  inhabitants  fall  before  the  tomahawk.  All  the  morning  the 
bloody  work  went  on,  the  street  running  with  blood,  the  tall  column  of 
smoke  ascending  to  heaven ;  the  Iroquois  hanging  men,  women,  and  chil 
dren  on  stakes,  and  drinking  themselves  drunk  on  brandy. 

Colonel  Subercose  started  with  four  hundred  men,  and  arrived  at  the 
burning  village  in  the  afternoon. 

"  The  Indians  are  only  a  mile  and  a  half  away,  dead  drunk,"  said  a 
Frenchman  who  had  escaped. 

Colonel  Subercose  started  to  attack  them,  when  an  officer  came  in  hot 
haste  from  Montreal. 

"  The  governor  orders  that  you  stand  on  the  defensive,  and  run  no 
jsks." 

Subercose  was  brave.  He  believed  that  the  Indians,  in  their  drunken 
stupor,  could  be  routed ;  but  at  the  command  of  the  frightened  governor 
he  had  to  turn  about ;  and  the  next  day,  the  wasps,  having  recovered  from 
their  drunk,  attacked  a  party  of  eighty  soldiers,  and  defeated  them. 

For  more  than  two  months  the  Iroquois  roamed  the  country  around 
Montreal,  killing,  scalping,  torturing  their  prisoners,  paralyzing  all 
ada,  wreaking  terrible  vengeance. 


GOVERNOR  BERKELEY  AND  THE  VIRGINIANS. 


259 


CHAPTER  XX. 

GOVERNOR  BERKELEY  AND   THE  VIRGINIANS. 

"  T"  THANK  God  there  are  no  free  schools  in  Virginia,  and  I  hope  we 
-*-  shall  not  have  them  these  hundred  years."      So  said  Sir  William 
Berkeley,  whom  Charles  II.  had  appointed  governor  of  Yirginia. 

Sir  William  lived  in  a  stately  house  on  the  banks  of  the  James.  He 
rode  in  a  lumbering  old  coach,  and  kept  a  retinue  of  servants.  His  table 
was  spread  with  silver ;  he  ruled  pretty  much  as  he  pleased,  and  was  king 
in  a  small  way.  He  hated  schools  and  printing-presses,  for  he  knew  that 


BERKELEY,   NEAR    HARRISON'S    LANDING. 

knowledge  is  power,  and  that  if  the  people  were  educated  he  would  not 
be  able  to  keep  them  so  completely  under  his  thumb.  He  cared  so  little 
for  their  prosperity  that  no  roads  were  built.  The  highway  was  only  a 
path.  All  travel  was  by  boats  on  the  river.  Berkeley  was  arbitrary, 
avaricious,  and  cared  more  for  feathering  his  own  nest  than  for  the  in 
terests  of  the  people.  There  was  not  a  bridge  in  Yirginia.  He  allowed 
public  interests  to  take  care  of  themselves.  He  had  a  monopoly  of 
trade  with  the  Indians,  and  he  alone  possessed  the  right  to  sell  them 
gunpowder. 


260 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLON  1E6 


ALL    TRAVEL    WAS    BY    BOATS    ON    THE    RIVER. 


The  Cavaliers,  who  had  emigrated  from  England  because  they  could 
not  bear  the  Puritans'  rule,  favored  aristocracy.  They  regarded  the  men 
who  worked  for  a  living  with  haughty  contempt*  They  little  knew  how, 
without  schools,  the  common  people  of  the  colony  were  being  educated — 
how  the  freedom  of  the  woods,  the  necessity  of  caring  for  themselves,  was 
making  them  self-reliant ;  and  how,  when  the  time  came,  they  would  take 
matters  into  their  own  hands.  The  time  came  in  1675.  The  Indians  on 
the  Upper  Potomac  killed  three  settlers,  and  then,  growing  bolder,  came 
down  the  James  River,  and  killed  thirty-six.  Governor  Berkeley  ordered 
Sir  Henry  Chiceley  to  pursue  them  with  troops;  but  when  the  troops 
were  all  ready,  Berkeley  ordered  them  to  disband.  If  he  chastised  the 
Indians,  of  course  he  would  have  no  more  profits  from  trade.  The  In 
dians  went  on  plundering  and  murdering,  and  laying  the  country  in 
waste.  Before  the  year  was  out  they  killed  more  than  three  hundred 
settlers. 

"  We  are  ready  to  wipe  out  the  savages,"  said  the  settlers  to  the  gov 
ernor. 

"  No  .  troops  shall  march  without  my  orders,"  was  the  reply.  Self- 
preservation  is  a  greater  law  than  any  edict  which  Governor  Berkeley 


GOVERNOR   BERKELEY  AND  THE   VIRGINIANS. 


261 


could  issue ;  and  with  Nathaniel  Bacon  at  their  head,  three  hundred  set 
tlers  took  matters  into  their  own  hands,  and  wiped  out  the  Indians  at  a 
blow. 

Bacon  was  only  thirty-three  years  old ;  he  had  been  in  Virginia  only 
two  years,  but  had  seen  a  great  deal  of  the  world.  He  hated  tyranny. 
The  people  elected  him  to  the  Assembly;  and  through  his  influence  a 
law  was  passed,  which  deprived  Governor  Berkeley  of  some  of  the  fat 
fees  which  he  had  ingulfed.  Bacon  had  marched  against  the  Indians 
without  orders;  he  held  no  commission.  Berkeley  would  not  overlook 
such  conduct. 

"  You  are  a  traitor  and  a  rebel,"  said  the  governor ;  but,  notwithstand 
ing  his  hate,  he  was  obliged  to  yield  to  the  demands  of  the  people  and 


INDIAN    MASSACRK. 

give  Bacon  a  commission,  who  started  once  more  to  drive  the  Indians  out 
of  the  colony.  When  all  were  ready,  Berkeley  forbade  them  going,  and 
denounced  Bacon  and  his  men  once  more  as  rebels  and  traitors. 

"  We  are  ready  to  lay  down  our  lives  for  our  wives  and  children,  and 
for  the  colony ;  we  will  go  and  see  why  he  calls  us  traitors,"  said  Bacon. 
"Amen!"  shouted  the  troops. 

The  drums  beat,  and  they  took  up  their  march  to  confront  the  gov 
ernor.  Berkeley  fled  across  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  Bacon  halted  at  Wil 
liamsburg. 


202  OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

u  The  flight  of  the  governor  is  to  be  regarded  as  abdicating  the  gov 
ernorship.  The  people  must  take  matters  into  their  own  hands,"  said 
Bacon,  and  the  Assembly  came  together  at  his  call.  He  disbanded  nearly 
all  of  his  soldiers. 

The  men  who  adhered  to  Berkeley  rallied  around  him,  and  he  went 
up  to  Jamestown.  Bacon  hastened  thither  with  his  handful  of  men. 
There  was  a  fight,  but  Bacon  won  the  victory,  and  his  soldiers,  in  the  ex 
ultation  over  the"  governor,  set  the  town  on  fire.  The  flames  licked  up 
every  house,  leaving  nothing  but  chimneys  and  the  crumbling  walls  of 
the  church.  It  was  an  unhealthy  locality;  so  malarious  the  climate, 
that  Bacon  sickened  and  died  a  few  days  later. 

The  people  were  without  a  leader.  Berkeley  set  Kobert  Beverly  to 
hunting  down  those  who  had  taken  part  in  the  rebellion.  Thomas  Hans- 
ford  was  the  first  to  suffer,  "  You  die  as  a  rebel !"  said  the  governor. 

"  I  die  a  loyal  subject,  and  a  lover  of  my  country !"  said  Hansford,  as 
he  gazed  unflinchingly  upon  the  gibbet. 

Mr.  Cheeseman  was  condemned  to  be  hung.  "  Let  me  die  instead  of 
my  husband,"  said  Mrs.  Cheeseman.  "He  joined  the  revolt  because  I 
wanted  him  to." 

She  fell  upon  her  knees  before  Berkeley.  "Away!"  shouted  the 
hard-hearted  governor. 

"  You  shall  be  hanged  in  half  an  hour!"  he  said,  smilingly,  to  William 
Drummond,  whose  wife  and  children  were  turned  out  upon  the  world  to 
beg  their  living.  The  implacable  man  was  not  satisfied  till  thirty-two  had 
been  hung.  "  The  old  fool !"  said  Charles  II.,  when  he  heard  of  it ;  "  he 
has  taken  away  more  lives  in  that  miserable  country  than  I  for  the  mur 
der  of  my  father." 

"  Had  we  let  him  alone  he  would  have  hanged  half  the  country,"  said 
a  member  of  Parliament.  Charles  sent  over  an  order  to  the  lieutenant- 
governor  to  assume  the  government. 

"  He  is  under  me,  and  I  will  not  yield,"  said  Berkeley,  and  told  the 
hangman  to  drive  the  commissioners  who  brought  the  letter  out  of  the 
country.  Charles  II.  would  not  submit  to  such  an  insult,  and  the  next 
ship  summoned  Berkeley  to  England. 

Governor  Culpepper  arrived  in  Virginia  in  1680.  He  was  cunning 
and  avaricious.  Before  leaving  England,  he  induced  the  king  to  have  his 
salary  raised  one  thousand  pounds,  and  the  perquisites  increased,  so  that 
it  would  be  equal  to  two  thousand  pounds  income  additional  per  annum, 
which  the  colonists  had  to  pay.  Tobacco  was  the  only  thing  they  culti 
vated,  and  the  price  of  the  plant  was  all  the  time  falling. 


GOVERNOR  BERKELEY  AND  THE   VIRGINIANS.  263 

Governor  Culpepper  thought  out  a  plan  to  make  towns  grow.  Tho 
vessels  which  went  up  the  river  and  gathered  the  hogsheads  from  the 
plantations  were  ordered  to  call  only  at  certain  places.  The  governor 
thought  that  a  town  would  spring  up  at  each  landing,  but  no  towns  ap 
peared.  There  were  no  industries  in  the  colony  to  make  towns  grow. 
The  planter,  who  had  been  shipping  his  tobacco  from  his  own  plantation, 
under  the  order  was  obliged  to  drive  it  many  miles  to  the  landing,  thus 
adding  to  the  cost.  The  price  of  tobacco  was  falling.  Was  it  because 
people  were  leaving  off  smoking?  On  the  contrary,  it  was  in  greater  de 
mand  than  ever. 

"  The  price  is  low  because  we  raise  too  much,"  said  some  of  the  igno 
rant  people,  who  could  not  see  that  the  taxes  and  the  restrictions  ate  up 
the  profits. 

"Let  us  cut  up  the  plants,"  shouted  a  mob,  which  went  into  their 
neighbors'  fields  and  destroyed  many  acres.  To  destroy  tobacco  was  to 
diminish  the  governor's  salary,  and  Governor  Culpepper  let  them  know 
that  he  was  master  by  hanging  several  of  the  ringleaders. 

"  Five  shillings  shall  be  reckoned  as  six  shillings  in  all  trades  between 
yourselves ;  but  in  the  payment  of  my  salary  five  shillings  shall  be  only 
five,"  said  the  governor. 

The  Assembly  protested  against  such  an  unrighteous  act ;  but  he  was 
master,  and  drove  them  out  of  the  chamber. 

Culpepper  stayed  four  years,  and  then  was  succeeded  by  Governor 
Effingham,  who  taxed  the  people  still  worse.  If  they  remonstrated,  he 
became  more  exacting.  While  he  was  in  office,  ship-loads  of  poor  creat 
ures,  seized  by  the  king's  officers  ^for  having  been  concerned  in  a  rebellion, 
arrived  in  Virginia,  and  were  sold  into  servitude  for  ten  or  twenty  years. 

When  William  and  Mary  came  to  the  throne,  Sir  Francis  Nicholson 
was  appointed  lieutenant-governor  while  Effingham  was  in  England.  He 
saw  that  the  people  needed  roads,  and  built  one  through  the  most  thickly 
settled  section.  He  encouraged  the  people  to  dress  skins  of  cattle  and 
sheep,  and  to  cultivate  flax.  He  tried  to  stop  the  terrible  profanity 
which  the  people  indulged  in  by  putting  them  in  the  stocks. 

While  he  was  governor,  Rev.  James  Blair,  who  was  the  commissary 
of  the  Bishop  of  London,  and  at  the  head  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in 
Virginia,  obtained  a  grant  from  the  king  and  queen  for  a  college.  It  was 
named  William  and  Mary,  and  was  liberally  endowed  by  them. 

"What  is  the  use  of  having  a  college  in  Virginia?"  asked  Seymour, 
the  attorney-general  of  the  crown,  when  Mr.  Blair  called  upon  him  to  see 
about  the  charter. 


264  OLD   TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

«  The  people  of  Virginia,  as  well  as  people  in  other  parts  of  the  world, 
have  souls  to  be  saved." 

"  Curse  your  souls !     Kaise  tobacco !"  Seymour  replied. 

Nevertheless,  the  king  and  queen  having  ordered  it,  he  was  obliged  to 
make  out  the  charter,  which  he  did  in  1692— the  second  in  America. 

There  were  none  but  Episcopal  churches  in  Virginia.  The  law  would 
not  allow  the  existence  of  other  denominations.  Mr.  Blair,  who  had  ob 
tained  the  charter  for  the  college,  was  a  good  man ;  but  most  of  the  other 
ministers  were  graceless  scamps  wno  read  prayers  for  a  living,  and  the 
planters  were  obliged  to  give  them  many  pounds  of  tobacco  per  annum. 
The  ministers  were  illiterate.  They  spent  their  time  in  hunting,  fishing, 
or  in  getting  drunk.  On  Sundays  they  read  prayers,  and  preached  what 
they  called  a  sermon — a  few  commonplace  words  strung  together,  with 
quotations  from  the  Bible ;  and,  when  service  was  through,  drank  their 
grog,  and  were  ready  for  another  week  of  idleness  and  carousal. 

Governor  Nicholson  went  to  England  in  1705,  and  for  five  years  the 
people  ruled  themselves ;  and  they  did  it  so  peaceably  and  sensibly  that 
they  were  the  five  happiest  and  most  prosperous  years  the  colony  had 
ever  seen. 

In  1710  Governor  Spotswood  came,  bringing  the  privilege  of  the 
writ  of  habeas  corpus.  He  ruled  twelve  years.  During  that  period  and 
through  the  following  years  the  colony  took  on  new  strength. 

In  1732  Joiste  Hite  went  into  the  Valley  of  the  Shenandoah  with  a 
colony  from  Pennsylvania,  and  began  a  settlement  at  Winchester.  John 
Lewis  settled  Staunton. 

Between  1730  and  1740,  many  Germans,  Scotch  Presbyterians,  and 
Quakers  crossed  the  Upper  Potomac,  and  settled  that  region.  They  were 
industrious,  hard-working,  thrifty,  religious,  and  intense  lovers  of  liberty. 
They  rejected  the  Established  Church,  chose  their  own  ministers,  and 
supported  them.  So  it  came  about  that  there  were  two  distinct  settle 
ments  in  Virginia — that  east  of  the  Blue  Eidge,  and  tl«,t  in  the  Valley 
of  the  Shenandoah. 


THE   CHARTERS   OF  THE   COLONIES  TAKEN  AWAY.  265 


CHAPTER  XXL 

HOW  THE  KING  TOOK  AWAY  THE   CHARTERS   OF  THE   COLONIES. 

THERE  was  too  much  liberty  in  America  to  suit  the  King  of  England. 
The  people  of  Massachusetts,  under  the  charter  given  them  by  the 
grandfather  of  Charles  II.,  were  making  their  own  laws  and  governing 
themselves,  and  Charles  II.  determined  to  take  it  from  them.  The  King's 
Court  issued  a  writ  of  quo  warranto — that  is,  commanding  the  people  of 
Massachusetts  to  appear  before  the  Court  and  show7  by  what  authority 
they  held  the  charter.  If  they  were  to  say,  "  It  was  granted  by  King 
James."  the  Court  could  reply,  "If  the  king  had  power  to  grant  it,  the 
king  has  power  to  take  it  away."  The  people  of  Massachusetts  employed 
a  lawyer  to  defend  them ;  but  the  judges  were  ready  to  do  the  king's 
bidding,  and  the  charter  was  revoked  October  23d,  1684. 

For  fifty  years  the  people  had  elected  their  own  officers,  but  now  the 
king  was  to  appoint  the  governor,  make  laws,  and  levy  taxes.  There 
were  to  be  no  more  general  courts.  It  was  to  be  absolute  power  on  one 
side,  and  abject  humility  and  serfdom  on  the  other. 

Charles  II.  laid  his  plans,  or  his  ministers  laid  them  for  him,  but 
Death  stepped  suddenly  in,  putting  an  end  to  a  worthless  life.  His 
brother,  the  Duke  of  York,  became  King  James  II.  On  May  14th,  1686, 
a  war-ship  arrived  at  Boston,  bringing  Edmund  Randolph,  whom  James 
had  sent  out  to  establish  a  new  government.  James  appointed  Joseph 
Dudley  president,  giving  him  authority  to  seize  one  of  the  meeting-houses 
in  Boston.  The  Bishop  of  London  sent  Rev.  Robert  Ratcliffe  to  read 
prayers. 

"  The  prayers  in  the  book  are  nothing  but  trash ;  they  are  like  leeks 
and  garlic,"  said  the  people,  hating  the  Prayer-book  more  than  ever. 

"I  want  you  to  have  the  bell  tolled  every  Wednesday  and  Friday  at 
nine  in  the  morning,  for  the  people  to  come  to  prayers,"  said  the  new 
governor  to  the  owner  of  one  of  the  meeting-houses. 

"It  is  against  our  conscience;  besides,  we  own  the  meeting -house. 
We  will  not  do  it !" 


266  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

Sir  Edmund  Andros  arrived,  bringing  his  commission  as  governor  of 
all  New  England.  James  had  determined  to  carry  out  his  brother's  plan. 
He  would  see  if  he  could  not  have  prayers  in  church. 

«  The  governor  demands  the  keys  of  the  meeting-house,"  said  Edmund 
Randolph,  whom  Andros  sent  to  obtain  them. 

"  The  land  and  the  house  belong  to  us,  and  we  will  not  let  him  have 
them,"  said  the  pew-owners;  but  the  sexton,  being  terribly  frightened, 


USS1NG    lllc.    OiiAKTEH. 


gave  them  up,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Ratcliffe  read  prayers  on  Good-Friday.  It 
was  the  beginning  of  absolute  government  in  Massachusetts.  Governor 
Andros  appointed  Joseph  Dudley,  William  Stoughton,  John  Usher,  and 
Edmund  Randolph  justices  of  the  court  to  settle  all  questions  of  law.  He 
appointed  Edmund  Randolph  to  collect  the  taxes.  A  few  men  had  nice 
positions  in  government,  charging  what  fees  they  pleased.  The  people 
had  bought  and  sold  land  under  the  charter,  but  Governor  Andros  said 
the  titles  were  worthless,  because  the  charter  had  been  revoked,  and  that 
they  must  take  out  new  titles,  for  which  they  were  to  pay  roundly. 

Andros  ordered  each  town  to  choose  a  man  to  act  with  the  selectmen 
in  levying  taxes.  Rev.  John  Wise  and  John  Appleton,  of  Ipswich,  ad 
vised  the  people  to  pay  no  attention  to  the  order,  but  to  do  as  they  always 
had  done.  But  Governor  Andros  soon  let  them  know  that  he  would  not 
permit  such  talk.  He  had  them  up  before  the  Court. 


THE  CHAETERS  OF  THE  COLONIES  TAKEN  AWAY. 


267 


"You  have  no  privileges;  you  ought  to  be  sold  as  slaves,"  said  Dud 
ley,  who  was  ready  to  deprive  them  of  every  right. 

"  We  send  you  to  prison  for  twenty -one  days,  and  you  are  to  pay  a 
fine  besides,"  was  the  sentence  of  the  judges,  and  the  sheriffs  marched 
them  to  prison. 

"  We  cannot  levy  any  taxes  which  the  Assembly  have  not  voted,"  said 
Shadrack  Wilbur,  town-clerk  of  Taunton,  whereupon  the  judges  sent  him 
to  jail  for  three  months  for  his  impudence.  Andros  ruled  as  he  pleased, 
giving  to  his  friends  not  only  fat  offices,  but  the  farms  which  people  had 
bought  and  paid  for. 

Having  established  his  authority  in  Massachusetts,  he  went  to  Con 
necticut,  to  take  away  the  charter  which  Governor  Win  slow  had  obtained 


THE    CHARTER    OAK. 


Crom  Charles  II.  He  rode  in  state,  accompanied  by  sixty  gentlemen, 
with  a  company  of  soldiers  as  his  body-guard.  The  people  of  Connecti 
cut  received  him  respectfully,  a  troop  of  horsemen  escorting  him  from 
Wethersh'eld  to  Hartford. 


268  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

The  governor  and  council  called  a  meeting  in  the  evening  of  the  last 
day  of  October,  1687,  to  compel  a  surrender  of  the  charter.  There  was  a 
crowd  in  the  chamber.  The  box  containing  the  charter  was  placed  upon 
the  table.  Two  or  three  tallow-candles  threw  their  dim  light  upon  the 
document  under  which  the}7  had  elected  their  own  officers  and  made  their 
own  laws.  Somebody  lifted  a  finger,  or  made  a  sign ;  and  in  an  instant 
the  candles  went  out.  There  were  no  matches  in  those  days.  They  must 
strike  a  light  with  a  flint  and  steel,  or  get  a  coal  from  somewhere.  We 
can  only  imagine  what  Governor  Andros  and  everybody  else  was  think 
ing  about,  sitting  there  in  the  darkness  while  somebody  was  going  to  the 
nearest  house  for  a  light ;  but  when  the  candles  were  lighted,  the  charter 
was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  No  one  knew  what  had  become  of  it ;  no  one 
but  Captain  James  Wardsworth,  who  was  wise  enough  to  keep  his  knowl 
edge  to  himself.  It  was  not  in  his  house  or  any  other  building,  but  se 
creted  in  a  hollow  oak-tree  out  on  the  Common. 

Although  Governor  Andros  had  not  got  possession  of  the  charter,  he 
set  up  his  own  government,  and  his  secretary  wrote  this  in  the  records: 

"His  Excellency  Sir  Edmund  Andros,  Knight,  Captain,  General,  and 
Governor  of  his  Majesty's  Territory  and  Dominion  in  New  England,  by 
order  from  his  Majesty  James  the  Second,  King  of  England,  Scotland, 
and  Ireland,  the  31st  of  October,  1687,  took  into  his  hands  the  govern 
ment  of  the  colony  of  Connecticut,  it  being  by  his  Majesty  annexed  to  Mas 
sachusetts  and  other  colonies  under  his  excellency's  government.  FINIS." 

The  word  was  written ;  but  nothing  is  final  in  this  world  that  is  not 
based  on  Right,  as  Governor  Andros  discovered  after  a  while.  New  Eng 
land  for  the  time  being  was  under  his  heel. 

The  governor  returned  to  Boston,  fitted  out  an  expedition,  sailed  east 
ward  to  the  Penobscot,  and  plundered  the  French  at  Castine,  in  Maine. 
He  kept  six  hundred  soldiers  in  arms,  compelling  the  people  to  pay  the 
taxes.  Edmund  Randolph,  the  tax-collector,  sold  out  his  privilege  to 
John  West,  who  seized  the  goods  of  those  who  did  not  pay. 

It  was  on  the  4th  of  April,  1689,  that  a  vessel  entered  Boston  harbor 
from  Nevis,  with  a  sailor  named  John  Winslow  on  board,  which  sailed 
from  that  island  in  February.  Just  before  he  left  there,  a  vessel  sailed 
in  bringing  copies  of  the  Prince  of  Orange's  proclamation. 

The  word  ran  through  the  streets. 

"  You  are  wanted  at  the  governor's  house,"  said  a  messenger. 

"  Why  didn't  you  come  here  at  once  ?"  asked  Andros. 

"  It  is  not  customary  for  a  passenger  to  go  to  the  governor  when  the 
master  of  the  ship  has  the  news." 


THE   CHARTERS  OF  THE   COLONIES  TAKEN  AWAY.  269 

"Where  is  the  Declaration  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  that  yen  brought! 
I  want  it." 

"  I  will  not  give  it  to  you,  because  you  are  not  willing  the  people  shall 
know  what  has  taken  place." 

"  You  are  a  saucy  fellow.  Sheriff,  take  him  to  the  justice  of  the 
peace ;  let  him  deal  with  him." 

"  Give  us  the  Declaration  of  the  Prince  of  Orange,"  said  the  justice. 

"  I  will  not ;  you  keep  the  news  from  the  people.  I  bought  it  with 
my  own  money." 

"  Away  with  him  to  prison !"  and  the  sheriff  marched  him  off.  The 
people  of  Boston  did  not  know  what  was  going  on  in  England,  only  that 
William  had  landed.  But  their  blood  was  rising.  Governor  Andros  saw 
it,  and  moved  into  the  fort  on  Fort  Hill.  Out  in  the  harbor  was  the  frig 
ate  J^ose.  swinging  at  anchor. 

x  O         O 

It  was  election-day,  April  18th,  and  people  came  in  from  Cambridge, 
Roxbury,  and  Dorchester  to  hear  the  minister  of  the  First  Church 
preach.  They  were  early ;  some  of  them  discovered  Captain  George 
on  shore,  and  put  him  under  guard.  Somebody  beat  a  drum  at  nine 
o'clock.  A  man  climbed  up  the  staff  on  Beacon  Hill  and  hung  out  a 
flag.  All  Boston  saw  it,  and  the  people  out  in  Cambridge.  Captain 
Hill's  company  suddenly  made  its  appearance  in  King  Street,  marched  to 
the  State-house,  escorting  Simon  Bradstreet,  Thomas  Danforth,  and  several 
of  the  old  magistrates  who  had  sympathized  with  the  people.  In  a  very 
short  time  Edmund  Randolph,  who  had  done  so  much  to  help  Andros, 
Justice  Foxcraft,  John  Sherlock  —  the  sheriff  who  had  marched  John 
Winslow  to  jail — and  many  others  who  had  held  offices  under  Andros, 
found  themselves  in  jail.  The  jailer  himself,  who  had  turned  the  key  on 
so  many  good  men,  found  himself  in  a  cell,  and  Mr.  Scates,  a  bricklayer, 
turning  the  key  upon  him.  There  were  twenty  companies  under  arms 
in  Boston;  drums  were  beating;  men  were  running  with  their  muskets. 
There  was  a  great  crowd  on  the  shore  at  Charlestown  —  four  hundred 
men,  with  guns,  ready  to  help.  Parties  were  coming  down  Charles  River 
from  Newton — down  the  Mystic  from  Medford. 

Never  before  had  there  been  such  a  crowd  in  King  Street.  Somebody 
read  a  paper  from  the  balcony  of  the  State-house,  setting  forth  the  op 
pression  they  had  suffered,  and  resolving  to  have  justice. 

The  Hose  was  opening  her  port- holes,  running  out  her  guns.  The 
lieutenant  was  issuing  his  order,  swearing  great  oaths  at  the  insults  to  the 
captain.  He  sent  a  boat  and  soldiers  to  bring  them  on  board ;  but  the 
people  seized  the  guns  of  the  sailors,  and  marched  them  to  the  Town- 


370  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

house.     John  Nelson  commanded  the  troops.     He  marched  to  the 
and  planted  his  cannon. 

"  Surrender  the  fort !"  was  the  order  to  Andros.  He  gave  it  up,  and 
Captain  Fairweather  turned  the  gun  upon  the  frigate.  Captain  George 
promised  that  the  frigate  should  not  fire,  and  ordered  the  sails  to  be 
brought  on  shore. 

Great  crowds  poured  into  town  all  the  afternoon,  ready  to  take  their 
revenge  upon  Andros,  who  was  marched  off  to  the  fort.  He  tried  to  es 
cape  by  putting  on  woman's  clothes.  He  passed  two  sentinels,  but  the 
third  discovered  his  thick-soled  shoes,  and  marched  him  back.  The  peo 
ple  elected  Simon  Bradstreet  governor,  and  absolute  rule  was  at  an  end 
in  Massachusetts. 

On  the  29th  of  May  a  vessel  sailed  into  the  harbor,  bringing  joyful 
news.  "William,  Prince  of  Orange,  was  King  of  England,  and  there  was 
an  end  forever  of  absolute  rule  in  England.  In  commemoration  of  the 
event  the  people  of  Boston  sat  down  to  a  grand  dinner  in  the  Town-house, 
providing  an  abundance  of  wine,  everybody  eating  and  drinking  till  the 
sexton  rung  the  bell  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  they  made  their 
way  home,  rejoicing  over  the  downfall  of  King  James,  Andros,  and  all 
their  minions. 


KLNU   WILLIAM'S   WAR.  271 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

KING    WILLIAM'S    WAR. 

AT  three  o'clock  Tuesday  morning,  December  llth,  1688,  James  IL, 
King  of  England,  rose  noiselessly  from  his  bed,  passed  with  stealthy 
step  from  his  palace,  entered  a  carriage  in  waiting,  was  driven  rapidly  to 
the  bank  of  the  Thames,  where  he  stepped  into  a  boat  and  was  rowed 
swiftly  down  the  stream.  As  the  boat  shot  past  the  old  palace  of  Lam 
beth,  he  flung  into  the  river  the  Great  Seal  of  England,  used  in  stamping 
all  the  royal  documents  to  give  them  validity. 

He  was  fleeing  from  his  palace,  his  throne,  his  kingdom,  from  a  people 
whom  he  had  outraged  in  his  attempts  to  set  up  a  personal  and  absolute 
government  by  his  tyrannical  acts.  The  people  had  risen  against  him. 
They  had  invited  his  son-in-law,  William  of  Orange,  to  aid  them  in  over 
throwing  the  government.  He  had  landed  at  Torquay,  had  been  wel 
comed  by  the  nation,  and  James  was  a  fugitive,  seeking  refuge  in  France 
with  Louis  XIV.,  whose  adopted  daughter,  Mary  of  Modena,  was  James's 
wife. 

On  the  last  day  of  December,  James  entered  the  old  palace  of  St. 
Germain,  on  the  bank  of  the  Seine,  near  Paris,  which  Louis  XIV.  had 
placed  at  his  disposal. 

The  Queen  of  England,  with  her  infant  child,  arrived  two  days  be 
fore.  Louis  went  out  to  meet  her  with  a  great  retinue  of  courtiers. 

"St.  Germain  shall  be  your  home,"  he  said.  He  gave  her  a  key  to  a 
casket  which  contained  twenty  thousand  dollars  in  gold. 

"  You  are  still  King  of  England,  and  I  will  aid  you  to  recover  your 
kingdom,"  he  said  to  James,  and  prepared  for  war  against  England. 

It  was  not  simply  a  generous  act  on  the  part  of  Louis  to  a  fellow- 
sovereign  who  was  in  trouble,  but  there  were  ideas  behind  it.  Louis 
XIV.  and  James  II.  believed  in  the  absolute  right  of  kings  to  rule  as 
they  pleased;  that  the  people  should  have  no  voice  in  the  government; 
that  kings  were  appointed  of  God  to  govern,  and  that  the  people  must  do 
their  bidding.  They  had  the  right  to  levy  taxes,  to  wage  war,  and  com- 


272 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


pel  the  people  to  fight  at  their  pleasure.  "I am  the  State!"  said  Louis, 
and  that  comprehended  all.  Not  another  being  in  France  was  of  any 
account. 

William,  on  the  other  Hand,  believed  that  the  people  had  a  right  to 
make  their  own  laws  through  a  Parliament  of  their  own  choosing;  that 


WHERE    WILLIAM    LANDED. 


the  Parliament  should  be  free  to  act,  and  that  it  was  the  duty  of  the  king 
to  execute  the  laws. 

James  and  Louis  were  Roman  Catholics.  James  had  done  what  he 
could  to  crush  out  the  Protestant  and  establish  the  Roman  religion  in 
England.  Louis  hated  Protestants,  and  drove  them  from  his  kingdom. 
He  took  pride  in  calling  himself  "the  most  Catholic  King."  He  regarded 
himself  as  the  great  defender  of  the  Roman  Church. 

William  was  a  Protestant ;  his  wife  Mary,  daughter  of  James,  was  a 
Protestant,  and  he  was  regarded  by  the  Protestants  of  all  Europe  as  the 
defender  of  their  religion. 

So  the  war  was  not  waged  merely  that  James  might  regain  his 
crown ;  but  it  was  to  be  a  great  struggle  between  the  absolute  right  of 
kings  and  the  freedom  of  the  people. 


KING  WILLIAM'S  WAR.  273 

On  the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  the  Danube,  the  Po,  in  the  meadows  of 
Holland,  on  the  plains  of  Germany,  amidst  the  vineyards  of  Italy,  in  the 
wilderness  of  North  America,  upon  the  Penobscot,  the  Piscataqua,  Her 
ri  mac,  and  Mohawk,  the  struggle  is  to  go  on — not  whether  James  shall 
be  once  more  King  of  England,  but  whether  the  people  shall  have  a  voice 
in  government,  and  think  for  themselves  in  matters  pertaining  to  religion. 

Quenchless  the  ardor  of  the  Jesuits.  Through  all  the  years,  from  the 
landing  of  the  missionaries  sent  out  by  Madame  de  Guercheville,  the 
black-gowned  fathers  were  making  their  influence  felt  among  the  Indians 
of  the  Penobscot  and  Kennebec. 

Gabrielle  Dreuillet,  bidding  farewell  to  France,  obedient  to  the  orders 
of  his  superior,  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  established  a  mission  on  the  Ken 
nebec,  raised  a  chapel,  set  up  the  cross  and  an  image  of  the  Virgin  Mary, 
gave  presents  to  the  dusky  warriors,  and  reaped  a  rich  harvest  of  converts 
so  far  as  baptism  was  concerned.  When  the  Iroquois,  from  beyond  the 
Hudson,  stole  through  the  wilderness  and  fell  upon  the  tribes  in  Maine, 
Father  Gabrielle  visited  Boston,  to  ask  the  Puritans  to  use  their  influence 
in  constraining  the  implacable  Iroquois.  He  was  hospitably  entertained, 
and  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts  used  his  influence  to  restrain  the  Mo 
hawks.  Three  Jesuits  succeeded  Father  Gabrielle — Father  Thury,  and 
the  two  brothers  Bigot.  They  stirred  up  the  Indians  to  make  war  upon 
the  English. 

"  My  children,"  said  Thury,  "  how  long  will  you  suffer  your  lands  to 
be  encroached  upon  by  heretics  ?  By  the  religion  I  have  taught  you,  I 
exhort  you  to  resist  them.  The  hatchet  must  be  cleaned  of  its  rust. 
Night  and  day  a  continual  prayer  shall  ascend  to  heaven  for  your  success ; 
an  unceasing  rosary  shall  be  observed  till  your  return,  covered  with  the 
glory  of  triumph." 

During  these  years  the  Indians  had  made  themselves  at  home  in 
Dover,  New  Hampshire,  coming  and  going  as  they  pleased.  There  were 
five  houses  in  the  town,  strongly  fortified,  in  which  the  settlers  slept  at 
night. 

It  was  the  evening  of  the  27th  of  June,  1688,  when  two  squaws  called 
at  Major  Waldron's  garrison  and  asked  if  they  might  sleep  there. 

"Indians  are  coming  to  trade  to-morrow,"  they  said. 

Major  Waldron  was  pleased  to  hear  it,  for  trade  with  the  Indians 
always  meant  a  good  bargain  to  the  white  man. 

"  Supposing  we  should  want  to  go  out  in  the  night,  how  shall  we  open 
the  door  ?"  asked  the  squaws. 

They  are  shown  how  to  undo  the  fastenings. 
18 


274  OLD  TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 

Major  Waldron  is  eighty  years  of  age,  white-haired,  wrinkled ,  but 
there  is  force  yet  left  in  his  arm,  and  he  is  as  courageous  as  ever.  He 
has  no  fear  of  any  Indian  that  walks  the  earth ;  and  the  vague  rumors 
and  whisperings  are  as  idle  as  the  wind  to  him.  He  lies  down  to  sleep. 
The  lights  in  all  the  houses  are  extinguished.  No  sentinel  walks  the 
street.  In  the  darkness  dusky  forms  glide  noiselessly  through  the  town. 
The  doors  of  the  houses  open.  The  terrible  war-whoop  breaks  the  still 
ness  of  the  summer  night. 

A  half-dozen  Indians  enter  the  room  where  the  brave  old  man  is 
sleeping.  He  springs  from  the  bed,  seizes  his  sword,  and  single-handed 
drives  them  from  the  chamber  into  the  large  room.  In  the  darkness  one 
steals  behind  him,  strikes  a  blow,  and  he  falls.  It  is  their  hour  of  tri 
umph.  He  has  been  a  ruler  and  a  judge.  The  Indians  can  be  sarcastic. 
They  seat  him  in  his  arm-chair,  lift  him  upon  the  table.  It  is  his  throne. 

"  Get  us  supper !"  is  their  command  to  the  family. 

They  eat,  and  then  turn  to  their  bloody  work.  One  by  one  they  slash 
their  knives  across  his  breast. 

"  So  I  cross  out  my  account,"  they  say.  They  are  settling  an  account 
that  has  been  standing  thirteen  long  years. 

An  Indian  cuts  off  one  hand. 

"Where  are  the  scales?     Let  us  see  if  it  weighs  a  pound." 

Major  Waldron  bought  beaver-skins,  and  was  accustomed  to  put  his 
hand  as  a  weight  upon  the  opposite  scale  when  he  weighed  them.  One 
cuts  off  his  nose,  another  his  ears.  The  old  man's  strength  is  gone,  and, 
as  he  falls,  one  holds  his  sword,  which  pierces  his  body. 

In  one  of  the  garrisons  is  a  faithful  dog,  whose  barking  awakes  the 
inmates.  The  Indians  rush  upon  the  door.  Elder  Wentworth  throws 
himself  upon  the  floor,  holds  his  feet  against  it,  braces  himself  with  all 
his  might.  The  bullets  whistle  over  him,  but  do  him  no  harm,  and  he 
holds  it  fast. 

Elizabeth  Heard,  with  her  children,  on  this  evening  has  come  from 
Portsmouth  in  a  boat.  They  are  belated,  and  the  Indians  are  at  their 
bloody  work  when  she  reaches  Major  Waldron's  house.  Her  children 
flee,  while  she  sinks  in  terror  upon  the  ground.  An  Indian  with  a  pistol 
stands  over  her,  but  does  not  fire. 

"  No  harm  shall  come  to  you,"  he  says.  It  is  the  Indian  whom  she 
befriended  thirteen  years  ago. 

When  the  morning  dawns  it  is  upon  the  smouldering  ruins  of  burn 
ing  dwellings,  upon  the  mangled  bodies  of  twenty-three  men  and  women, 
and  upon  twenty-nine  women  and  children  going  into  captivity— a  long 


Br.fl   I /infers  ===~"' \v\ 


KING  WILLIAM'S  WAR.  277 

and  weary  march  through  the  woods  to  Canada,  to  be  sold  as  slaves  to  the 
French  or  kept  in  servitude  by  the  savages. 

Louis  XIV.  saw  that  France  could  build  up  a  new  empire  in  America ; 
but  to  accomplish  such  a  result  a  man  with  a  strong  hand  must  be  sent 
out  to  direct  affairs,  and  Count  Louis  Frontenac  was  selected  as  the  one 
most  suitable  for  the  work,  with  which  he  was  already  familiar.  He 
reached  Quebec,  and  laid  his  plans  to  strike  three  blows  at  the  same  time 
upon  the  English  —  one  in  the  Valley  of  the  Mohawk,  one  in  New 
Hampshire,  and  one  in  Maine. 

In  was  in  mid-winter  that  the  three  picked  parties  of  French  and  In 
dians  started — one  from  Montreal,  the  second  from  Three  Rivers,  the  third 
from  Quebec.  Let  us  follow  them,  and  see  how  the  French  and  Jesuits 
carried  on  this  war  of  ideas  in  the  wilderness  of  the  Western  World. 

In  the  middle  of  January,  1690,  one  hundred  and  sixty  French  and 
ninety  Indians,  who  had  been  baptized  by  the  Jesuits,  started  from  Mont 
real  on  snow-shoes,  carrying  heavy  packs,  and  dragging  their  provisions 
on  sleds. 

They  toiled  day  after  day  through  the  snow  to  Lake  Champlain, 
along  its  entire  length  on  the  ice,  and  then  through  the  woods  to  the 
Valley  of  the  Mohawk.  On  a  Saturday  night  they  halted  two  miles 
from  Schenectady.  The  sun  went  down  in  a  haze,  and  the  night  was  bit 
ter  cold. 

At  eleven  o'clock  they  reached  the  town.  Schenectady  is  so  far  from 
Canada,  the  snow  is  so  deep,  the  cold  so  severe,  that  no  enemy  would  un 
dertake  a  hostile  raid.  So  thought  the  easy-going  Dutch  settlers,  who  at 
nine  o'clock  raked  up  their  fires,  laid  aside  their  pipes,  and  went  to  bed, 
little  dreaming  of  the  blow  that  was  about  to  fall  upon  them.  The  party 
was  commanded  by  D'Aillebout  de  Mantet  and  Le  Moyne  de  Sainte- 
Helene,  who  had  with  him  his  two  brothers,  Le  Moyne  d'Iberville  and 
Le  Moyne  de  Bienville,  whom  we  shall  see  again. 

The  night  was  cold ;  the  wind  howled  through  the  forest ;  snow  was 
falling.  The  men  stamped  their  feet  to  warm  them.  They  were  impa 
tient  of  delay.  French  and  Indians  alike  longed  for  the  moment  when 
the  bloody  work  was  to  begin.  The  officers  post  their  men.  Then  comes 
the  war-whoop,  the  breaking  in  of  doors.  The  settlers  leap  from  their 
beds  to  fall  before  the  tomahawk;  women  seize  their  children  and  run  into 
the  streets,  to  be  shot  down  alike  by  French  and  Indians.  Turn  which 
way  they  will,  there  is  nothing  but  death.  The  snow  is  crimsoned  with 
their  blood.  The  streets  are  strewn  with  the  dead  and  dying.  The 
flames  of  forty  dwellings  illumine  the  wintry  sky,  and  in  the  lurid  light 


278 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


the  Indians,  with  strings  of  bleeding  scalps  of  white-haired  men  and  help 
less  women  and  fair -faced  girls  hanging  at  their  sides,  dance  in  frantic 
joy.  The  haze  that  settled  down  at  night  upon  the  horizon  was  the 
precursor  of  an  approaching  storm.  The  wind  howls  through  the  forests, 
sweeping  the  snow  in  blinding  drifts.  Yet  out  in  the  storm,  barefooted, 
clad  only  in  their  night-dresses,  men  and  women  are  fleeing  with  infants 
in  their  arms,  freezing  where  they  fall. 

Ah,  what  a  scene  is  that  which  Captain  Mantet  and  Lieutenant  Sainte- 
Helene  beheld  on  Sunday  morning !  the  peaceful  village  in  ruins— smoul- 


SCHENECTADY. 


dering  ashes  instead  of  houses  —  every  house  except  two  burnt;  sixty 
ghastly  corpses  in  the  snow;  infants  with  their  brains  dashed  out;  men 
and  women  and  maidens  ruthlessly  butchered.  So  those  soldiers  reared 
in  France  have  massacred  the  inhabitants  of  this  village,  so  far  away  in 
the  wilds  of  the  American  Continent.  At  sunrise  they  are  on  their  way 
with  twenty-seven  prisoners,  and  all  the  horses,  making  a  swift  retreat  to 
Canada. 

Count  Frontenac  was  greatly  pleased  with  the  result  of  the  expedition, 
and  wrote  these  words  to  Louis  XIY. :  "  You  cannot  believe  the  joy  that 


KING  WILLIAM'S   WAR.  279 

this  slight  success  has  caused,  and  how  much  it  contributes  to  raise  the 
people  of  Canada  from  their  dejection." 

The  second  party  sent  out  by  Frontenac  consisted  of  twenty -four 
French  and  twenty-five  Indians,  commanded  by  Francis  Hertel  de  Ron* 
ville,  whom  we  shall  see  again. 

On  the  28th  of  January  the  fifty-one  men  started  from  Three  Rivers 
southward  through  the  wilderness,  up  the  valley  of  the  St.  Francis  to  the 
highlands  between  the  Atlantic  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  to  the  head-waters 
of  the  Connecticut,  across  Northern  New  Hampshire  to  the  Saco ;  and 
from  the  Saco  to  the  Piscataqua  they  made  their  way  through  ice  and 
snow,  animated  by  the  thought  that  they  would  strike  terror  to  every 
Englishman  on  the  continent. 

On  the  27th  of  March  they  reached  the  English  settlement  at  Salmon 
Falls,  on  the  Piscataqua,  ten  miles  only  from  the  sea.  Seventy  years  had 
passed  since  Edward  and  William  Hilton  had  reared  their  fish-houses  at 
Dover,  only  five  miles  distant ;  and  this  settlement  of  Salmon  Falls  was  the 
frontier  town  in  New  Hampshire — so  slow  had  been  the  advance  of  civil 
ization. 

While  Hertel  and  his  men  were  preparing  for  their  bloody  work,  the 
scouts  crept  in  the  darkness  up  to  the  residences  of  the  settlers.  They 
discovered  a  saw-mill,  where  men  had  been  at  work  through  the  day,  a 
fortified  house,  and  two  stockades,  and  scattered  farm-houses.  No  senti 
nel  challenged  them.  No  one  was  astir.  The  water  was  falling  over  the 
dam  ;  no  other  sound  broke  the  stillness  of  the  night. 

In  the  darkness  Hertel  posted  his  men,  and  the  work  began :  thirty 
persons  tomahawked  and  shot,  fifty-four  women  and  children  captured. 
Morning  dawned  upon  the  scene  of  desolation  —  mangled  corpses  and 
burning  dwellings,  with  Hertel  and  his  prisoners  moving  away.  A  few 
hours  later  a  party  of  settlers  came  up  with  him.  He  saw  them  approach, 
and  posted  his  men  on  the  bank  of  a  river.  It  was  nearly  night  when  the 
fight  began.  The  English  lost  two  killed  and  seven  wounded.  Hertel 
lost  several ;  but  he  prevented  the  English  from  crossing  the  stream,  and 
hurried  his  captives  away,  giving  some  of  them  to  the  Indians — Christian 
Indians,  who  had  been  baptized  by  the  Jesuits,  who  tied  them  to  trees, 
and  put  them  to  death  with  horrible  tortures. 

The  third  party  sent  by  Frontenac  started  from  Quebec,  consisting  of 
fifty  French  and  sixty  Christian  Indians,  commanded  by  a  Canadian  offi 
cer,  Captain  Portneuf,  and  Lieutenant  Courtmanche.  They  reached  the 
Kennebec  River  in  May.  They  travelled  slowly,  catching  fish,  and  killing 
moose  and  deer.  Upon  the  Kennebec  lived  the  Abenakis  Indians,  who 


280  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

joined  the  expedition.  The  Jesuit  priests  had  been  among  them,  and  had 
used  their  influence  to  stir  them  up  to  wage  war  upon  the  English.  From 
the  Penobscot  came  St.  Castine,  with  some  French  and  Indians. 

Hertel,  in  his  return  to  Canada,  had  taken  the  route  of  the  Kenne- 
bec,  and  joined  Portneuf.  Altogether  there  were  nearly  five  hundred 
men. 

On  the  shore  of  Casco  Bay,  at  Portland,  was  Fort  Loyal,  and  a  little 
village  with  four  block-houses.  On  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  May  the 
people  saw  their  cattle  in  the  pastures  running  and  tossing  their  heads  in 
fright.  The  news  of  what  had  taken  place  at  Salmon  Falls  had  reached 
Portland,  and  the  settlers  had  flocked  into  the  village.  There  were  one 
hundred  of  them  in  the  fort,  commanded  by  Captain  Davis.  The  men  in 
the  garrison  heard  a  gun  fired,  and  then  the  yells  of  Indians.  Portneuf's 
Christian  Indians  had  killed  a  man,  and  could  no  longer  restrain  them 
selves.  Their  shooting  alarmed  the  garrison,  and  every  man  seized  his 
gun.  Captain  Davis  resolved  to  keep  his  men  in  the  garrison ;  but  Lieu 
tenant  Clark  was  for  going  out  to  find  the  enemy.  There  was  little  dis 
cipline,  and  he  went  out  with  thirty  men,  when  suddenly  there  came  a 
volley  from  an  unseen  enemy  which  killed  or  wounded  every  man,  and 
only  four  succeeded  in  reaching  the  fort,  into  which  all  the  settlers,  with 
their  families,  fled. 

The  French  commander  had  no  cannon  ;  but  collecting  the  shovels  of 

7  O 

the  settlers,  he  began  to  dig  a  trench  to  undermine  the  fort.  While 
some  of  his  men  were  at  work,  others  were  lying  in  secure  places,  ready  to 
pick  off  any  soldier  that  attempted  to  fire.  For  three  days  and  nights  the 
French  worked  in  the  trench  till  it  was  close  to  the  fort. 

"  Surrender  !"  shouted  the  French  commander. 

"Will  you  give  me  good  quarter,  with  liberty  to  march  to  the  nearest 
English  town,  and  have  a  guard  for  our  defence  and  safety?"  Captain 
Davis  asked. 

"  You  shall  be  protected ;  I  swear  it !"  said  Portneuf,  lifting  his  hand 
and  taking  a  solemn  oath  that  everything  that  was  asked  for  should  be 
granted. 

The  gates  were  opened,  the  garrison  laid  down  their  arms,  and  then 
the  work  of  death  began.  The  tomahawk  crashed  through  the  skulls  of 
men  and  women  alike.  The  seal  ping-knife  encircled  their  brows  ;  infants 
were  dashed  against  the  stones;  and  all  that  were  spared  were  taken  into 
captivity. 

"  You  have  violated  your  solemn  pledge,"  protested  Captain  Davis. 

"You  are  rebels  against  your  lawful  king,  James  II.,"  replied  Port- 


KING  WILLIAM'S  WAR.  281 

neuf,  who,  setting  the  town  on  fire,  retreated  to  Canada,  having  wiped  the 
settlement  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Captain  Davis  and  four  other  men  were  spared.  Upon  reaching  Que 
bec,  he  was  brought  before  Frontenac. 

"  We  were  promised  good  quarter.  I  thought  I  had  to  do  with  Chris 
tians  that  would  have  been  careful  of  their  engagements,  and  not  violate 
their  oaths,"  said  Davis,  fearlessly. 

"  You  are  rebels  against  your  rightful  king,"  said  Frontenac ;  but 
he  treated  Captain  Davis  courteously,  and  liked  him  for  his  outspoken 
opinions. 

About  twelve  miles  from  the  sea,  on  the  Merrimac  Kiver,  in  Massa 
chusetts,  is  the  beautiful  town  of  Haverhill.  It  was  a  small  settlement 
in  1690,  but  it  was  easy  for  the  Indians  to  descend  the  river  in  their  ca 
noes  and  attack  it. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1692,  John  Keezar  went  into  his  meadow 
with  his  scythe  to  cut  grass.  He  took  his  gun  with  him,  and  leaned  it 
against  a  tree.  While  mowing,  an  Indian  crept  through  the  woods, 
reached  the  tree,  and  seized  the  gun. 

"Me  kill  you  now,"  he  said,  bringing  his  gun  to  his  shoulder. 

John  Keezar  was  brave,  and  he  was  quick  to  act.  He  was  not  the 
man  to  flee ;  that  would  be  certain  death.  He  could  yell  louder  than  any 
Indian.  With  a  screech  he  rushed  upon  the  savage  with  his  scythe,  who 
dropped  the  gun  and  took  to  his  heels ;  but  Keezar  overtook  him,  and 
gave  a  stroke  which  cut  a  fearful  gash  across  the  half-naked  body  of  the 
savage,  who  fell  dead  at  his  feet. 

Two  boys,  Isaac  Bradley,  fifteen  years  old,  and  Joseph  Whittaker, 
eleven,  were  at  work  one  day  in  Mr.  Bradley's  field,  when  a  party  of  In 
dians  sprung  out  of  the  woods  and  seized  them.  Isaac  was  small,  but 
was  bright  and  brave ;  Joseph,  though  four  years  younger,  was  as  large 
as  Isaac,  but  he  had  less  heart  and  strength.  The  Indians  did  not  stop  to 
kill  any  of  the  settlers,  but  hastened  away,  travelling  through  the  woods 
to  the  beautiful  Lake  Winnipissankie,  where  they  had  established  their 
camp  for  the  winter.  In  a  very  short  time  Isaac  picked  up  enough  of 
their  language  to  know  what  they  were  saying. 

"We  shall  go  to  Canada  in  the  spring,"  was  what  he  heard  them  say. 

April  came ;  the  snow  was  gone,  the  flowers  were  beginning  to  ap 
pear.  In  a  few  days  the  Indians  would  be  on  their  march  to  sell  them 
to  the  French.  But  Isaac  had  no  intention  of  going  to  Canada.  Day 
after  day  he  thought  over  the  matter.  He  knew  that  the  English  settle- 


282  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE    COLONIES. 

inents  were  far  away  to  the  south,  but  there  .was  no  path.  He  had  no 
compass.  How  could  he  ever  reach  them  ?  He  would  be  guided  by  the 
sun  by  day  and  the  stars  by  night.  He  would  make  the  attempt.  He 
might  perish,  but  death  was  better  than  captivity. 

"I  am  going  to  try  it  to-morrow  night.  I  am  afraid  you  won't  wake," 
he  said  to  Joseph,  who  always  slept  soundly,  and  snored  in  his  sleep. 

"  Oh  yes,  I  will !"  Joseph  replied. 

The  Indians  had  killed  a  moose,  and  Isaac  managed  to  secrete  a  large 
piece  of  the  meat  in  the  bushes  near  the  camp.  He  filled  his  pockets  with 
bread.  Night  came ;  all  were  asleep  except  lasac,  who  was  so  stirred  by 
the  thought  of  escaping  that  his  eyes  would  not  close.  Every  sense  was 
quickened.  He  arose  softly  and  touched  Joseph,  who  was  sound  asleep. 
He  did  not  stir,  and  Isaac  shook  him  harder. 

"What  do  you  want?"  Joseph  asked. 

In  an  instant  Isaac  was  stretched  out  by  his  side,  and  snoring.  The 
Indians  did  not  wake ;  and  after  a  little  while  the  boys  arose  softly,  and 
crept  out  of  the  wigwam,  Isaac  with  an  Indian  gun  and  ammunition. 
They  made  their  way  to  the  meat,  took  it  in  their  arms,  and  started  upon 
the  run,  guiding  their  way  by  the  stars.  On  through  the  wilderness, 
amidst  the  tall  trees,  over  fallen  trunks,  over  stones,  through  thickets  and 
tangled  brushwood,  they  travelled  till  morning,  and  then  crept  into  a 
hollow  log. 

Great  the  consternation  in  the  camp  of  the  Indians.  Their  captives 
gone!  A  gun  lost!  At  daybreak  the  Indians,  with  the  dogs,  were  on 
their  track,  and  in  swift  pursuit.  The  boys  heard  the  barking  of  the 
dogs,  which  soon  came  sniffing  round  the  log.  What  shall  the  boys  do 
now  ?  Isaac  is  quick-witted. 

"  Good  fellow,  Bose !  Good  fellow !  Here  is  some  breakfast  for 
you;"  and  he  tosses  the  moose-meat  to  them.  The  dogs  know  his  voice, 
devour  the  meat,  and  are  as  happy  as  dogs  can  be.  The  boys  are  their 
friends ;  they  cease  barking,  and  trot  around  with  no  further  concern. 
The  Indians  come  upon  the  run.  The  boys  hear  their  voices  as  they 
hasten,  followed  by  the  dogs  ! 

Through  the  day  they  lie  secreted  in  the  log,  and  when  night  comes 
strike  out  once  more  in  a  different  direction  from  that  taken  by  the  In 
dians.  All  night  long  they  travelled,  nibbling  the  bread  in  their  pockets. 
Morning  came,  and  again  they  concealed  themselves.  Once  more  at 
night  they  are  on  the  march.  On  the  third  day  Isaac  shoots  a  pigeon, 
but  does  not  dare  to  kindle  a  fire,  and  they  eat  it  raw.  They  find  a 
turtle,  smash  its  shell,  and  eat  the  meat.  On,  day  after  day,  they  toil, 


"HE    STAGGERS   WITH    HIM  THROUGH   THE    WOODS." 


KING  WILLIAM'S   WAR.  285 

eating  roots,  and  the  buds  of  the  trees  just  ready  to  burst  into  leaf.  The 
sixth  day  came,  and  they  suddenly  find  themselves  close  to  an  Indian 
camp.  They  peep  through  the  underbrush,  and  see  the  warriors  sitting 
round  their  camp-fire  smoking  their  pipes.  They  steal  softly  away,  and 
then  run  as  fast  as  their  legs  can  carry  them.  The  morning  of  the 
eighth  day  comes.  Joseph's  strength  is  failing;  his  courage  is  gone. 
He  cries  bitterly.  They  are  in  the  wilderness,  they  know  not  where, 
with  nothing  to  eat,  their  clothes  in  rags,  their  feet  bleeding. 

"Cheer  up,  Joseph  !  Here  are  some  ground-nuts.  Here,  drink  some 
water !"  says  Isaac. 

No  brave  words,  no  act  of  kindness  can  quicken  the  courage  of  the 
fainting  boy.  What  shall  Isaac  do  ?  Stay,  and  die  with  him,  or  try  and 
find  his  way  out?  Sad  the  parting — the  younger  lying  down  to  die  upon 
a  mossy  bank,  the  older  turning  away,  alone,  lost  in  the  wilderness. 

With  faltering  steps  Isaac  pushes  on,  and  discovers  a  house !  No  in 
habitants  are  there ;  but  he  knows  that  there  must  be  white  men  not  far 
away.  With  quickened  pulse  he  turns  back  to  the  dying  boy,  awakens 
him  from  sleep,  rubs  his  legs  and  bathes  his  temples. 

"  Come,  Joseph,  we  are  saved  !     Help  is  near." 

He  leads  him  a  few  steps,  then  takes  him  on  his  back,  staggers  with 
him  through  the  woods,  and  strikes  a  beaten  path. 

Glorious  Isaac  Bradley !  The  world's  history  has  many  a  story  of 
heroic  action,  but  none  nobler  or  braver  than  this  act  of  yours.  Before 
night  they  reach  a  fort  upon  the  Saco  River,  and  astonish  the  soldiers 
with  the  story  of  their  adventures. 

In  March,  1697,  Thomas  Dustin,  of  Haverhill,  was  at  work  in  his  field, 
when  he  heard  the  terrible  whoop  of  Indians,  and  ran  toward  his  house. 
He  had  eight  children — the  youngest  only  a  week  old.  The  mother  was 
in  bed  with  her  infant,  tended  by  her  nurse,  Mary  Neff. 

"  Run  for  the  garrison  !"  he  shouted  to  his  other  children.  They  fled, 
the  oldest  carrying  the  youngest,  while  Mr.  Dustin  rushed  into  the  stable 
for  his  horse.  The  Indians  were  close  upon  him.  He  could  not  save  his 
wife;  but  would  try  and  save  some  of  the  children.  He  came  up  with 
them.  Which  should  he  take  ?  All  were  equally  dear  to  him,  and  he 
would  try  and  save  all.  The  Indians  reach  the  house,  and  seize  Mrs. 
Dustin  and  Mary  Neff.  They  dash  the  infant  against  a  rock,  and  the 
mother  beholds  its  bleeding  corpse.  They  rush  after  the  fleeing  family. 
"Run  for  your  lives!"  shouts  Mr.  Dustin  to  his  children,  then  leaps  from 
his  horse,  shelters  himself  behind  the  animal,  rests  his  gun  across  the 
horse's  back,  taking  deliberate  aim  upon  the  foremost  Indian.  He  fires, 


286  OLD  TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 

springs  into  the  saddle,  and  is  away,  with  the  bullets  flying  around  him. 
He  loads  his  gun  while  on  the  gallop,  reaches  his  children,  dismounts,  and 
is  ready  for  the  pursuers ;  so,  keeping  them  at  bay,  he  reaches  the  garri 
son,  saving  all  the  children. 

In  a  few  moments,  twenty-seven  men,  women,  and  children  in.  the  set 
tlement  are  massacred,  their  houses  set  on  fire,  and  the  Indians  are  fleeing 
toward  Canada. 

It  was  the  middle  of  March.  In  the  woods  there  was  still  much  snow. 
The  streams  were  swollen  with  its  melting,  and  yet,  with  but  one  shoe, 
Mrs.  Dustin  began  her  march  through  the  wilderness,  driven  by  her  cap 
tors.  Her  feet  were  torn  and  chilled.  Every  step  was  marked  by  her 
blood.  Some  of  her  fellow -captives  grew  faint  and  fell,  and  then  the 
tomahawk  despatched  them.  All  except  Mrs.  Dustin  and  Mary  Neff 
were  killed. 

Three  days  brought  them  to  the  Indian  rendezvous,  a  little  island  at 
the  junction  of  the  Merrimac  and  Contoocook  Rivers,  in  Boscawen,  New 
Hampshire.  It  was  a  place  where  the  Indians  could  catch  fish,  and  where 
Mrs.  Dustin  found  a  little  boy,  Samuel  Leonardson,  who  had  been  a  cap 
tive  for  more  than  a  year,  and  who  had  learned  the  Indian  language. 

In  a  few  days,  all  except  twelve  of  the  Indians  started  upon  another 
marauding  expedition.  Upon  their  return,  the  captives  would  be  taken 
to  Canada.  The  woman  who  has  seen  her  infant  dashed  against  a  stone 
has  an  heroic  spirit.  Death  will  be  preferable  to  captivity.  They  who 
would  be  free  must  strike  the  blow  that  will  give  them  freedom.  She 
lays  her  plan. 

"Ask  the  Indians  where  they  strike  with  the  tomahawk  when  they 
want  to  kill  a  person  quick,"  she  says  to  Samuel. 

"  Strike  'em  here,"  the  Indian  replies  to  Samuel's  question,  placing  his 
finger  on  Samuel's  temples. 

Little  does  the  savage  think  that  his  own  hatchet  will  be  buried  in  his 
brains  by  the  keen-eyed. woman  who  watches  his  every  movement.  The 
Indian  shows  Samuel  how  to  take  off  a  scalp,  all  of  which  Mrs.  Dustin 
observes. 

Night  comes,  and  she  informs  Mary  Neff  and  Samuel  of  her  plan,  and 
stimulates  them  by  her  heroic  courage. 

There  are  twelve  Indians  in  all  who  lie  down  to  sleep,  feeling  that 
their  captives  cannot  escape.  No  one  keeps  watch.  The  wigwam  fires 
burn  low.  No  sound  breaks  the  stillness  of  the  night  except  the  waters 
of  the  Contoocook  sweeping  over  its  rocky  bed.  Mrs.  Dustin  rises,  seizes 
a  tomahawk,  gives  one  to  Mary  Neff,  another  to  Samuel.  Each  selects  a 


KING  WILLIAM'S  WAR.  287 

victim.     A  signal,  and  the  hatchets  descend,  crushing  through  the  skulls 
of  the  Indians,  blow  after  blow  in  quick  succession.     It  is  the  work  of  a 


WOMEN    STANDING    GUARD. 


minute,  but  in  that  brief  time  ten  of  the  twelve  have  been  killed  ;  the 
two  escape  in  the  darkness ! 

The  prisoners,  prisoners  no  longer,  gather  up  the  provisions,  take  the 
guns  of  the  Indians,  scuttle  all  the  canoes  but  one,  and  take  their  depart- 


288  OLD  TIMES   IN  THE    COLONIES. 

ure  down  the  Merrimac.  A  thought  comes  to  the  woman  :  will  their 
friends  believe  the  story  they  will  have  to  tell.  They  will  have  indis 
putable  evidence. 

A  few  strokes  of  the  paddle  bring  them  back  to  the  island.  Mrs. 
Dustin  runs  the  scalping-knife  around  the  brows  of  the  dead  Indians, 
takes  their  scalps,  and  starts  once  more,  guiding  the  canoe  with  her  pad 
dle,  landing,  and  carrying  it  past  dangerous  rapids,  reaching  Haverhill, 
sixty  miles  distant,  with  her  bloody  trophies,  to  the  astonishment  of  her 
friends,  who  thought  her  dead.  The  Government  of  Massachusetts  made 
her  a  present  of  fifty  pounds ;  and  in  these  later  years  the  people  of  the 
Merrimac  Valley,  to  commemorate  her  heroism,  have  reared  a  monument 
upon  the  spot  where  she  achieved  her  liberty. 

All  along  the  frontier,  from  the  Penobscot  to  the  Hudson,  the  Indians 
murdered,  plundered,  and  carried  the  settlers  into  captivity.  The  people 
could  have  no  security  only  as  they  huddled  into  forts.  If  they  worked 
in  the  fields,  some  kept  watch,  while  others  ploughed,  mowed,  or  reaped. 
On  Sunday  every  man  carried  his  gun  to  meeting,  and  the  men  always  sat 
nearest  the  pew-door  that  they  might  spring  out  first  in  case  of  an  attack. 
Scouts  roamed  the  woods,  and  sentinels  kept  watch  day  and  night.  The 
colonies  did  very  little  in  retaliation  except  to  send  an  expedition  under 
William  Phipps  to  Acadia.  He  captured  Port  Royal  (Annapolis),  and 
went  on  to  capture  Quebec,  but  failed.  Some  of  his  ships  were  wrecked 
in  a  terrible  storm,  and  the  men  drowned.  Several  hundred  perished  in 
the  expedition. 

The  colonies  had  gathered  four  hundred  troops  at  Albany  to  invade 
Canada ;  but  there  was  a  scarcity  of  provisions,  the  commanders  disagreed, 
and  the  troops  were  disbanded. 

Captain  John  Schuyler,  of  Albany,  was  indignant  at  the  failure,  and 
with  twenty-nine  white  men  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  Mohawk  In 
dians  swept  down  Lake  Cham  plain  and  the  Richelieu  to  Chambly,  and 
fell  upon  the  French  settlement  at  La  Prairie,  killing  and  capturing 
twenty-five  persons,  burning  houses  arid  killing  cattle — giving  the  French 
just  such  warfare  as  they  waged  upon  the  English.  Down  in  Maine  Le 
Moyne  d'Iberville  took  the  fort  at  Pemaquid. 

So  for  eight  years,  while  great  battles  were  being  fought  in  Europe, 
the  bloody,  indecisive  contest  raged  in  America,  over  the  ideas  spoken  of 
at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  till  peace  was  declared  at  Ryswick  in 
1697 — Louis  XIV.  consenting  to  recognize  William  and  Mary  King  and 
Queen  of  England. 


19 


NEW  JERSEY  AND  MARYLAND. 


291 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

NEW  JERSEY  AND   MARYLAND. 

T^HE  Dutch  called  the  Delaware  "South  River,"  and  the  Hudson 
"North  River."  When  Peter  Minuet  came  to  be  governor  of  Man 
hattan,  some  of  the  settlers  crossed  the  North  River,  and  made  a  settle 
ment  on  the  western  bank  at  Pavonia,  as  a  good  place  to  trade  with  the 
Indians.  It  was  the  first  settlement  in  New  Jersey.  They  also  went  up 
the  South  River,  and  built  a  trading-house  at  Burlington;  but  not  till 
after  the  end  of  Dutch  rule  in  America 
were  there  any  more  settlements. 

Charles  II.  gave  New  Jersey,  as  well 
as  New  York,  to  James,  who  sold  the 
southern  half  to  George  Carteret  and  Lord 
Berkeley.  Carteret  took  the  east  and 
Berkeley  the  west  half.  Carteret  had 
been  governor  of  the  island  of  Jersey, 
and  they  agreed  to  call  his  half  East 
Jersey,  and  Berkeley's  West  Jersey.  Car 
teret  laid  out  a  town,  and  called  it  Eliza 
beth,  in  honor  of  his  wife. 

Robert  Treat  and  some  other  people 
from  Connecticut  explored  the  country 
around  Elizabeth,  and  Newark  purchased 
it  of  the  Indians,  and  made  a  settlement. 

Other  settlers  came — a  great  many  Quakers,  Presbyterians  from  Scot 
land,  Huguenots  and  Dutch  from  New  York.  One  of  the  Dutchmen 
was  Arent  Schuyler,  who  bought  a  large  farm,  built  a  great  house,  and 
had  many  slaves.  One  of  the  field  hands  discovered  a  piece  of  stone, 
green  and  heavy.  He  showed  it  to  Mr.  Schuyler,  who  sent  it  to  England. 
Word  came  back  that  it  was  very  rich  copper  ore.  Mr.  Schuyler  had  a 
great  deal  of  the  ore  on  his  farm,  and  shipped  many  loads  to  the  brass 
founders  of  England,  and  became  very  rich. 


MIDDLE    COLONIES. 


292 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


"What  shall  I  do  for  you?"  he 
asked  of  the  slave,  Caesar.  "Name 
any  three  things  you  want,  and  you 
shall  have  them." 

"  Please,  massa,"  said  Caesar,  "  I 
should  like  to  live  with  you  always; 
second,  please  let  me  have  all  the  to 
bacco  I  want ;  and,  third,  I  should 
like  a  dressing-gown  like  yours, 
massa." 

"  Oh,  ask  for  something  of  value." 
"Well,  then,  Massa,  please    give 
me  a  little  more  tobacco." 

Mr.  Schuyler  had  a  son,  Peter,  a  resolute,  sturdy  man,  who  had  much 
to  do  with  what  was  going  on  in  public  affairs.  He  had  many  weary 
marches  through  the  forests  around  Lake  Champlain,  up  the  Mohawk,  in 
the  French  and  Indian  wars. 

Philip  Carteret,  son  of  George,  was  appointed  Governor  of  East  Jer 
sey.  He  wanted  things  his  own  way,  but  found  that  the  men  from  Con 
necticut,  the  Presbyterians  from  Scotland,  and  the  Quakers  had  ideas  of 
their  own.  They  compelled  him  to  grant  them  the  right  to  have  a  voice 
in  the  making  of  laws. 


FIRST   CHDKCII    IN    NEWARK. 


THE    OLD    SCHUYLER    MANSION. 


NEW   JERSEY  AND  MARYLAND. 


293 


PETER    SCHUYLER. 


Their  charter  said  :  "  ~No  person 
shall  at  any  time,  in  any  way,  be  call' 
ed  in  question,  or  in  the  least  punish 
ed  or  hurt,  for  opinion  in  religion." 
In  1702,  Carteret  and  Berkeley 
gave  up  their  rights  to  Queen  Anne, 
and  the  two  colonies  became  one, 
the  queen  appointing  the  governor. 
From  that  time  on  there  was  little 
disturbance,  and  the  people  were  so 
prosperous  that  travellers  said  there 
were  no  poor  in  the  colony. 

Before  Charles  I.  became  king, 
he  went  to  Spain  to  see  if  he  could 
bring  about  a  marriage  between  him 
self  and  the  King  of  Spain's  daugh 
ter.  George  Calvert  went  with  him 
to  manage  affairs ;  but  the  Spaniards 
wanted  to  drive  such  a  hard  bargain, 
politically,  that  Charles  went  back 
to  England  utterly  disgusted. 

Nevertheless,  when  he  came  to  the  throne,  he  rewarded  George  Cal 
vert  by  making  him  Lord  Baltimore,  and  giving  him  the  island  of  New 
foundland.  Lord  Baltimore  undertook  to  plant  a  colony  there,  calling  it 
Avalon ;  but  the  fogs,  rain,  sleet,  and  snow  were  so  disagreeable  that  he 
could  not  induce  people  to  settle  there,  and  Charles  gave  him  a  tract  of 

country  bounded  on  the  south  by  the 
Potomac  River,  from  its  mouth  to  the 
Alleghanies,  and  on  the  north  by  the 
fortieth  parallel  of  latitude. 

William  Claybourne,  a  surveyor 
from  London,  sent  out  by  the  London 
Company  to  Virginia,  had  already  sur 
veyed  a  portion  of  the  country,  and  had 
purchased  the  island  of  Kent  in  the 
Chesapeake,  and  made  a  settlement 
there  in  1631. 

George  Calvert  died  before  he  could 
carry  out  any  plans  for  the  settlement 
of  his  new  colony ;  but  his  son  Cecil 


ARMS  OF  THE  CALVKRT  FAMILY. 


294 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


sent  his  brother  Leonard,  with  three  hundred  emigrants,  in  two  ships,  the 
Ark  and  the  Dove,  to  make  a  beginning. 

Most  of  the  settlers  were  Catholics ;  and  the  Jesuits,  ever  on  the  watch 


FIRST    MASS    IN    MARYLAND. 


to  get  a  foothold  in  America,  sent  Father  White  and  two  other  priests  of 
the  order  of  Loyola. 

On  March  25th,  1634,  the  day  of  Annunciation,  the  priests  set  up  a 
cross  on  the  western  shore  of  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  celebrated  mass. 
They  laid  out  a  town,  and  named  it  St.  Mary's.  Lord  Baltimore  gave  the 
name  of  Maryland  to  the  province. 

The  Indians  flocked  around,  and  were  kindly  treated.  Lord  Baltimore 
bought  the  land  of  them,  and  made  them  liberal  presents.  The  Indians 


NEW  JERSEY  AND  MARYLAND.  295 

had  cultivated  large  fields  of  corn,  their  wigwams  were  well  made,  and 
they  gave  two  of  the  largest  to  the  Jesuit  priests. 

There  was  trouble  at  the  outset. 

"  You  are  under  my  authority,"  was  the  word  sent  by  Lord  Baltimore 
to  William  Claybourne  and  the  men  of  Kent. 

Claybourne  was  acting  under  the  Governor  of  Virginia ;  besides,  he 
had  purchased  the  island  of  Kent. 

"  What  shall  I  do  ?"  was  the  question  put  by  Claybourne  to  the  Gov 
ernor  of  Virginia. 

"  Stand  by  your  rights." 

Claybourne  went  on  trading  with  the  Indians  for  their  furs;  where 
upon  the  St.  Mary's  people,  watching  their  opportunity,  seized  a  vessel 
loaded  with  furs  owned  by  the  Kent  people.  At  that  the  Governor  of 
Virginia  sent  a  vessel  to  demand  redress.  There  was  a  fight,  and  several 
were  killed ;  but  the  St.  Mary's  people  were  victorious. 

William  Claybourne  hastened  to  England,  and  the  trouble  was  re 
ferred  to  the  court.  The  judges  discussed  the  question  of  authority.  It 
took  them  a  long  while  to  do  it ;  but  in  1639  they  informed  Claybourne 
that  Lord  Baltimore  had  all  authority. 

The  judges  did  not  know  that  the  people  in  Maryland  the  while  were 
quietly  taking  things  into  their  own  hands.  Lord  Baltimore  and  his  friends, 
to  whom  Charles  had  given  the  territory,  sent  out  a  code  of  laws ;  but 
the  settlers,  instead  of  accepting  it,  formed  a  code  of  their  own,  in  which 
they  said  that  everybody,  slaves  only  excepted,  should  have  equal  rights. 

"We  will  have  a  government  of  our  own,  elect  our  representatives, 
and  make  our  own  laws,"  they  said. 

The  spirit  of  liberty  was  rising.  It  was  having  a  great  uplift  in  Eng 
land,  and  all  along  the  eastern  shore  of  America,  from  the  Piscataqua  to 
the  Potomac. 

There  were  many  petty  troubles  in  Maryland  during  the  conflict  be- 
tween  the  King  and  Parliament,  and  during  Cromwell's  time.  William 
Claybourne  never  lost  sight  of  his  claim.  In  1655  quite  a  battle  was 
fought  between  Governor  Stone  and  Claybourne  and  their  followers. 
Stone  was  taken  prisoner,  and  some  of  his  officers  were  hung.  There 
was  anarchy  for  several  years. 

Things  were  more  quiet  after  Charles  II.  came  to  the  throne;  but 
when  James  II.  became  king,  he  sent  out  Sir  Lionel  Copley  as  governor, 
who  established  the  Church  of  England,  and  who  would  not  permit  the 
Catholics  to  have  any  voice  in  government. 

There  was  so  much  disturbance,  the  laws  of  England  in  regard  to 


296 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


commerce  were  so  unjust,  that  DO  great  towns  sprung  up.  It  was  not  till 
1730  that  Philip  Jones  went  out  with  his  compass  and  chain,  and  laid  out 
the  city  of  Baltimore. 

The  people  had  very  little  trouble  from  the  Indians ;  and  during  all 
the  years  that  the  New  England  colonies  were  fighting  the  French  and 
Indians  the  people  of  Maryland  were  living  in  peace  and  quiet. 


LAYING   OUT    BALTIMORE. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


297 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

SETTLEMENT  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

ONE  of  the  commanders  of  the  English  navy  who  fought  the  Dutch 
on  that  day  when  Charles  II.  and  the  frivolous  Cavaliers  were  at 
Greenwich,  and  heard  the  roar  of  cannon  down  the  Thames,  was  Admiral 


WILLIAM    PfcNN. 


Penn.  He  was  a  brave  man,  and  so  loyal  that  he  lent  the  king  a  large 
sum  of  money.  His  son  William  wras  a  student  at  Oxford,  who  for  at 
tending  a  Quaker  meeting  was  expelled  from  college. 

10* 


298  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

"William  lias  become  a  Quaker,  or  some  melancholy  thing,'5  said  his 
old  associates,  when  they  heard  of  his  expulsion. 
"  A  Quaker !     William  a  Quaker !" 

The  admiral  could  not  believe  it ;  but  when  he  found  that  William 
was  thinking  seriously  about  becoming  a  follower  of  George  Fox,  he  be 
came  furious,  and  turned  him  out-of-doors. 

The  admiral  died  in  1670,  leaving  a  great  estate,  which  fell  to  Wil 
liam.  Part  of  the  property  was  the  money  which  the  king  had  borrowed 
—amounting  to  sixteen  thousand  pounds.  Charles  could  spend  thousands 
of  pounds  every  week  foolishly,  but  never  had  any  for  the  payment  of  his 
debts.  William  Penn,  probably  understanding  that  it  would  not  be  easy 
to  obtain  the  money,  proposed  to  take  it  in  land  in  America.  A  grand 
idea  came  to  him.  The  Quakers  could  have  little  peace  in  England ;  he 
would  start  a  colony  in  America,  where  they  would  be  exempt  from  per 
secution.  Charles  was  delighted  at  the  proposition.  Of  what  value  to 
him  was  a  wilderness  three  thousand  miles  away,  inhabited  by  savages? 
To  cancel  the  debt,  he  gave  Penn  all  the  territory  now  included  in 
Pennsylvania. 

On  September  1st,  1682,  the  ship  William,  with  Penn  on  board  and 
one  hundred  Quakers,  sailed  from  England  for  their  new  home.  It  was 
a  sad  voyage,  for  the  small-pox  broke  out ;  and  before  the  ship  entered 
Delaware  Bay,  one-third  had  died. 

It  was  a  day  of  rejoicing  when  they  reached  Newcastle.  The  Swedes 
and  the  Quakers  who  had  already  settled  near  there  welcomed  him  as 
their  benefactor. 

Other  vessels  came — thirty-three  in  all — bringing  Quakers  who  were 
eager  to  turn  their  backs  upon  England,  where  they  had  suffered  bitter 
persecution. 

"  There  shall  be  freedom  of  thought  and  speech  to  all.  You  shall  be 
governed  by  laws  of  your  making.  I  shall  not  usurp  the  right  of  any, 
nor  suppress  any  person,"  said  Penn. 

Three  Swedes,  sons  of  Swan  Swanson,  owned  a  strip  of  land  between 
the  Delaware  and  Schuylkill  rivers;  Penn  picked  it  out  as  the  site  for 
the  city  of  "  Brotherly  Love,1'  which  he  proposed  to  build.  He  pur 
chased  the  land,  and  set  Thomas  Holmes  to  surveying  it,  who  laid  the 
streets  straight  from  river  to  river,  and  named  one  Chestnut,  another 
Walnut,  a  third  Mulberry. 

The  king  had  given  Penn  the  land,  but  he  made  the  Indians  his 
friends  by  purchasing  it  of  them.  He  invited  the  chiefs  to  meet  him  be 
neath  the  wide- spreading  trees  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware.  "We  are 


SETTLEMENT   OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


299 


one  flesh  and  blood,  brothers,"  said  Penn.  "  We  will  live  in  love  as  long 
as  the  sun  and  moon  shine,"  the  Indians  replied.  Penn  gave  them  blank 
ets,  knives,  kettles,  axes,  beads,  and  trinkets,  which  cost  him  but  little,  but 
which  were  of  great  value  in  the  eyes  of  the  confiding  Indians.  It  was  a 
recognition  of  their  right,  and  they  were  satisfied.  They  regarded  every 
man  who  wore  a  broad-brimmed  hat  as  their  friend. 

The  Quakers  were  taught  by  George  Fox  that  they  ought  not  to  fol 
low  the  fashions  of  the  world,  and  so  their  clothes  were  never  out  of  fash 
ion,  for  they  were  made  after  an  unchanging  pattern.  Their  meeting' 


LANDING   OF    WILLIAM    PENN    AT    PHILADELPHIA. 


house  was  plain.  Sunday  they  called  First  Day.  No  one  preached  un 
less  moved  by  the  Spirit,  which  they  believed  would  tell  them  what  to  say 
or  do  at  all  times.  Nevertheless,  a  whipping-post  and  stocks  were  set  up 


300 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


FIRST    BRICK    BUILDING    ERECTED    IN    PHILADELPHIA — GIVEN   BY   MR.   PENN  TO    HIS    DAUGHTER. 

for  the  punishment  of  offenders.  They  regarded  theatres  as  demoral 
izing. 

The  Quakers  lived  in  the  city  of  "  Brotherly  Love,"  but  they  found 
that  they  could  not  get  on  without  judges  and  courts.  They  claimed  to 
be  guided  by  the  "  inner  light,"  but  could  not  free  themselves  from  super 
stition. 

Margaret  Mattson  and  Jeshro  Hendrickson  were  accused  of  being 
witches,  and  brought  before  Penn  for  trial.  The  neighbors  testified 
against  them ;  but  the  judges  said  the  testimony  would  not  warrant  hang 
ing  them,  and  they  were  set  at  liberty.  The  settlers  were  superstitious. 
They  believed  that  the  devil  was  prowling  here  and  there,  seeking  whom 
he  might  devour.  Rev.  Mr.  Hesselius — the  Swedes'  minister — cousin  of 
Emanuel  Swedenborg,  wrote  an  account  of  the  devil's  doings;  how  a  cap 
tain  of  a  ship,  who  was  very  profane,  was  seized  by  the  devil  and  thrown 
into  the  river  in  sight  of  the  people.  He  also  had  a  marvellous  tale  to 
tell  how,  for  fifteen  days,  it  rained  upon  a  black  oak-tree,  while  all  the 
rest  of  the  forest  was  dry  ! 

Gabriel  Thomas  wrote  to  his  friends  about  matters  in  Philadelphia 
during  the  first  year  of  its  settlement.  There  were  thirty  carts  in  the 
colony.  William  Penn  rode  in  a  coach  or  on  horseback.  Laboring  men 
could  get  paid  as  much  for  their  time  as  in  England.  Women  could  get 
very  high  wages — from  five  pounds  to  ten  pounds  per  annum.  No  girl 
need  be  an  old  maid,  for  there  were  more  men  than  women,  and  a  girl 
could  have  her  pick  of  the  young  men. 

Gabriel  and  his  fellow-citizens  used  to  drink  their  grog  at  the  Blue 


SETTLEMENT  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


301 


Anchor  Tavern.  It  was  only  when  a  ship  came  from  England  that  they 
had  any  news  to  tell.  They  discussed  the  affairs  of  their  neighbors,  and 
told  stories  of  pirates  and  robbers. 

William  Perm  remained  two 
years,  and  then  returned  to  Eng 
land,  leaving  his  secretary,  James 
Logan,  to  look  after  affairs. 

After  he  was  gone  the  great 
"  Walking  Purchase  "  of  land  took 
place.  The  settlers  wanted  more 
land,  and  made  a  bargain  with  the 
Indians  to  give  them  so  many  blank 
ets,  kettles,  knives,  and  axes  for  what 
land  a  man  could  walk  around  in  a 
day. 

The  Quakers  laid  out  a  path, 
removed  the  fallen  trees,  made  a 
smooth  way,  picked  out  the  fastest 
walker  that  they  could  find,  and  put  Ji>" 

him  in  training.  The  Indians  came  to  see  him  walk,  and  were  astounded 
when  they  saw  him  walking  so  fast  that  they  had  to  run  to  keep  up  with 
him,  going  round  a  great  tract. 

"  The  land  is  ours  now ;  you   must  build  your  wigwams  somewhere 
else,"  said  the  Quakers. 

"  We  have  been  cheated ;  we  will  not  leave,"  said  the  Indians. 

It  was  the  beginning  of  no 
end  of  trouble;  but  the  white 
men  were  the  strongest,  and  the 
Indians  had  to  leave. 

In  December,  1699,  William 
Perm,  after  being  fifteen  years 
in  England,  revisited  Pennsylva 
nia  once  more. 

"  I  am  going  to  my  American 
Desert,"  he  wrote  when  he  was 
about  to  leave  England.  But 
Pennsylvania  was  not  a  desert. 

PENN  S    HOUSE.  ^ 

The  inhabitants  numbered    more 

than  twenty  thousand,  and  Philadelphia  was  a  town.  William  Penn 
had  a  charming  country  residence  on  the  Delaware  above  the  city.  An 


302 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


avenue  of  poplars  extended  from  the  house  to  the  river,  and  the  grounds 
were  laid  out  in  lawns  and  gardens.  There  were  apples,  peaches,  plums, 
grapes,  and  strawberries,  and  flowers  of  every  hue.  If  the  governor 
wanted  to  enjoy  himself  on  the  river,  he  had  but  to  step  into  his  barge. 
There  was  a  cook-house,  a  wash-house,  a  brewery  where  he  could  brew 
his  own  beer;  and  it  took  a  great  deal  to  supply  the  people  who  came 

to  transact  business,  or  to  pay  their  respects  to 
him. 

In  the  great  hall  were  long  tables,  where 
everybody,  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich,  Indians, 
negroes,  all  could  find  something  to  eat,  with  ser 
vants  to  wait  on  them.  Once  when  he  gave  an 
entertainment  there  were  so  many  to  eat  that 
the  tables  were  spread  beneath  the  trees,  and  the 
people  ate  one  hundred  roast  turkeys,  besides 
other  meats. 

He  brought  furniture  from  England — covered 
chairs,  oaken  tables,  ware  manufactured  in  the 
potteries  of  England,  damask  curtains,  and  plush 
cushions. 

He  lived  in  the  style  of  an  English  gentle 
man,  but  did  not  look  upon  himself  as  being  any 
better  than  other  men  because  he  had  money. 
One  Sunday,  when  he  was  going  to  meeting  on 
horseback,  he  overtook  Rebecca  Ward,  who  was 
trudging  along  without  shoes  or  stockings. 

"Will  thee  ride,  Rebecca?"  he  asked;  and, 
seating  her  upon  the  pillion  behind  him,  gave  her  a  fine  ride.  William 
Penn  purchased  several  slaves,  but  treated  them  kindly.  He  was  always 
a  true  friend  to  the  Indians;  and  in  1701  invited  the  chiefs  of  all  the 
tribes  to  meet  him,  to  make  a  treaty  under  which  they  should  have  the 
same  rights  before  the  law  as  the  English. 

In  1701  lie  was  obliged  to  return  to  England,  to  look  after  his  inter 
ests  there.     He  never  visited  Pennsylvania  again. 


Till-;    I'KNN    SKAL. 


WITCHES.  303 


CHAPTEE  XXY. 

WITCHES. 

ALL  the  world  believed  in  witches — that  men  and  women,  by  making 
a  bargain  with  the  devil,  had  power  to  torment  whomsoever  they 
pleased.  Everybody  believed  that  the  devil  was  very  much  like  a  man  in 
form,  only  that  lie  had  wings  like  a  bat,  a  tail,  cloven  feet,  and  horns;  that 
he  was  able  to  confer  great  power  on  witches,  enabling  them  by  infernal 
arts  to  raise  storms,  sink  ships,  afflict  children  with  fits,  kill  cattle,  set 
chairs  and  tables  to  dancing;  that  they  had  power  to  make  themselves 
invisible,  creep  through  key-holes,  ride  on  broomsticks  through  the  air, 
and  that  it  was  a  special  delight  to  hold  their  orgies  in  thunder-storms. 
To  doubt  the  existence  of  witches  was  to  reject  the  teachings  of  the 
Bible.  Were  not  the  children  of  Israel  commanded  not  to  suffer  a  witch 
to  live? 

In  1488,  four  years  before  Columbus  sailed  in  search  of  the  New 
World,  a  storm  swept  over  Constance,  in  Switzerland,  which  destroyed 
the  corn  and  grapes ;  and  the  people  accused  Anne  and  Agnes  Min- 
delen  of  having  raised  it.  They  confessed  that  the  devil  put  them  up 
to  it,  and  were  burnt  to  death.  Two  years  before  this,  Pope  Innocent 
VIII.  issued  a  bull  directing  that  witches  should  be  burnt.  When  the 
wicked  and  cruel  Alexander  VI.  was  in  the  papal  chair,  he  set  the  In 
quisitors  to  work  to  rid  the  world  of  witches.  They  burnt  six  hundred 
poor  old  women  in  the  bishopric  of  Bamberg,  in  Germany.  By  the 
shore  of  Lake  Geneva,  in  1515,  during  three  months  more  than  five  hun 
dred  were  burnt  to  death.  What  a  scene!  Innocent  women,  accused  of 
horrible  crimes  by  their  neighbors  and  best  friends,  led  out  by  the  score, 
chained  to  stakes,  fagots  piled  around  them,  their  bodies  smeared  with 
pitch,  that  the  fire  might  take  surer  hold  upon  the  quivering  flesh ! 

In  1549  the  good  Archbishop  Cranmer  gave  these  directions  to  the 
bishops:  "You  shall  inquire  whether  any  one  makes  use  of  charms,  sor 
cery,  enchantments,  witchcraft,  soothsayings,  or  any  like  craft  invented 
by  the  devil'" 


304 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


The  Countess  of  Lennox,  who  conspired  against  Queen  Elizabeth,  con 
suited  witches. 

In  1591  Archbishop  Spotswood  spent  nearly  all  his  time  in  examining 
witches.  All  through  Spain,  France,  Germany,  and  Holland,  during  these 
years,  thousands  of  men  and  women  were  burnt.  In  the  village  of  Lind- 
heim,  in  Germany,  containing  only  six  hundred  inhabitants,  thirty  were 


LAKE    GENEVA. 


put  to  death  in  one  year.  More  than  one  hundred  thousand  were  burnt 
in  all. 

In  1618  seventeen  witches  were  condemned  to  death  in  Lancashire; 
sixteen  in  Yarmouth ;  fifteen  at  Chelmsford. 

When  a  woman  was  accused  of  being  a  witch,  her  hands  were  tied  to 
her  feet,  and  she  was  thrown  into  a  pond;  if  she  did  not  sink,  it  was  re 
garded  as  positive  proof  that  she  was  a  witch  —  that  the  devil  alone 
enabled  her  to  float.  If,  on  the  contrary,  she  went  to  the  bottom,  she 
was  supposed  to  be  innocent.  Yery  few  floated  ;  nearly  all  the  poor- 
creatures  were  drowned  while  showing  that  they  were  innocent. 

Matthew  Hopkins  was  appointed  witch-finder.  He  travelled  through 
England,  having  his  expenses  paid,  and  a  fat  fee  besides,  arresting  whom- 


WITCHES.  305 

soever  he  pleased,  examining  their  bodies  for  witch  marks.  If  a  pimple, 
wart,  or  wen  was  discovered,  it  was  a  sure  indication  that  the  person  was 
in  league  with  bad  spirits.  They  were  the  devil's  marks.  The  accused 
were  subjected  to  terrible  torture  to  make  them  confess.  In  a  short  time 
more  than  one  hundred  persons  were  hung  through  Hopkins's  zealous 
efforts.  He  was  aided  by  some  of  the  best  men  in  England.  One  of 
those  who  suffered  deatli  at  the  hands  of  Hopkins  was  a  good  old  minis 
ter,  eighty  years  of  age,  who  had  preached  for  half  a  century.  Hopkins 
threw  him  into  a  pond ;  but,  as  he  did  not  sink,  it  was  clear  that  he  had 
sold  himself  to  the  devil.  The  good  man  died,  declaring  to  the  last  that 
he  was  innocent. 

Hopkins  was  greatly  reverenced  by  the  people,  as  endowed  with  supe 
rior  wisdom ;  but  after  awhile  he  himself  was  accused,  and  had  a  taste  of 
his  own  medicine.  His  thumbs  were  tied  to  his  great  toes,  and  he  was 
tossed  into  a  pond.  He  managed,  however,  to  swim,  and  stoutly  protest 
ed  that  he  was  not  a  witch,  and  so  saved  his  neck  from  the  halter. 

Sir  Matthew  Hale,  lord  chief-justice,  was  a  good  man,  an  upright  judge, 
and  presided  at  the  trials  of  many  witches.  Amy  Duny  and  Rose  Cu/- 
lender  were  accused  by  Margaret  Arnold  of  bewitching  her  little  girl, 
who  was  afflicted  with  fits. 

"  One  day,"  said  Margaret,  "  a  bee  flew  into  the  face  of  my  child,  and 
a  few  minutes  after  she  vomited  up  a  two-penny  nail.  At  another  time 
my  little  girl  caught  an  invisible  mouse  which  she  threw  into  the  fire,  and 
it  instantly  flashed  like  gunpowder." 

Nearly  all  the  testimony  was  as  silly  as  this. 

Sir  Matthew  called  upon  Sir  Thomas  Brown,  a  great  and  learned  phy 
sician,  to  give  his  opinion. 

"  I  am  clearly  of  the  opinion,"  said  Sir  Thomas,  "  that  the  fits  are 
natural,  but  heightened  by  the  devil  co-operating  with  the  malice  of  the 
witches  at  whose  instance  he  did  the  villanies." 

Sir  Matthew  was  tender-hearted ;  but  here  was  the  testimony  of  the 
greatest  physician  in  all  England  that  the  devil  and  two  old  women  had 
a  hand  in  making  the  child  sick.  The  Bible  commanded  him  to  put 
them  to  death,  and  he  ordered  them  to  be  executed.  Sir  Matthew  wrote 
a  book  about  witchcraft.  Rev.  Richard  Baxter,  a  learned  and  godly  min 
ister,  wrote  another.  Rev.  Mr.  Perkins  published  a  third,  all  detailing 
the  horrible  crimes  and  incantations  of  the  witches.  The  printers  of  Lon 
don  kept  their  presses  going,  printing  pamphlets  about  witches.  No 
one  doubted  the  stories  told  by  the  accusers,  especially  when  many  of  the 
accused  confessed  that  they  were  in  league  with  the  devil. 

20 


306 


OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


Every  vessel  crossing  the  Atlantic  brought  accounts  of  the  doings  of 
witches  in  England,  and  books  and  pamphlets  found  their  way  into  the 
settlers'  homes  all  over  New  England  and  Virginia.  Governors,  judges, 


STORIES    WERE   TOLD    OF    WHAT   THE    WITCHES    WERE    DOING. 

ministers,  and  people  alike  read  them,  firmly  believing  what  such  good 
men  as  Chief-justice  Hale  and  Richard  Baxter  had  written.  When  any 
thing  strange  happened  that  they  could  not  account  for,  it  was  ascribed 
to  witches.  If  the  butter  would  not  come  in  churning,  the  cream  was 
bewitched ;  and  the  way  to  get  the  witch  out  was  to  heat  a  horseshoe  red- 
hot  and  drop  it  into  the  churn,  which  would  so  scorch  the  hag  that  she 
would  leave  in  a  twinkling.  A  horseshoe  nailed  over  a  door  would  pre 
vent  witches  from  entering  it. 

Ministers  preached  about  witches,  warning  their  hearers  that  the 
Prince  of  the  Power  of  the  Air  was  round  about  them,  going  up  and 
down  the  earth  seeking  whom  he  might  devour.  By  the  wide-mouthed 
fireplaces  in  the  old  kitchens  stories  were  told  of  what  the  witches  were 
doing.  The  eager  listeners  felt  their  flesh  creep,  and  their  hair  stand  on 
end  as  the  stories  were  rehearsed.  Timid  people  were  afraid  to  go  out- 
of-doors  after  dark,  fearing  that  they  might  encounter  a  ghost  or  hob 
goblin.  Boys  and  girls,  if  sent  down  cellar  after  a  mug  of  cider  or  for 


WITCHES. 


307 


apples,  felt  their  hearts  leaping  up  their  throats  as  they  beheld  fantastic 
shadows  on  the  walls.  When  they  crept  up -stairs  to  bed,  it  was  with 
quick  and  nervous  step,  for  there  was  no  knowing  what  might  be  behind 
the  boxes  and  barrels  in  the  garret.  When  the  lightnings  glared,  and  the 
rain  beat  against  the  windows,  they  thought  of  the  witches  that  were  ca 
reering  through  the  air  on  broomsticks  or  holding  a  revel  in  the  forest. 
The  dim,  pale  light  which  they  sometimes  saw  along  the  marshes  was 
will-o'-the-wisp — the  devil's  wisp — ready  to  lure  them  into  some  snare. 
The  devil  was  ever  round  about  them,  and  the  witches  would  do  his 
bidding. 

About  the  time  that  Matthew  Hopkins  was  tossing  women  into  ponds 
and  hanging  them,  the  people  of  Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  in  1648,. ac 
cused  Margaret  Jones  of  being  a  witch.  She  doctored  people  with  roots 


THEIR   HEARTS   LEAPING   UP  THEIR   THROATS. 


and  herbs.  The  idea  was  abroad  that  she  had  a  "  malignant  touch ;"  that  if 
she  laid  her  hands  upon  persons  in  anger  they  would  become  blind,  deaf, 
or  in  some  way  afflicted.  She  was  put  in  prison,  and  the  man  who  guard 
ed  her  said  that  he  saw  a  little  child  with  her,  which  instantly  vanished. 


308 


OLD   TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 


Notwithstanding  she  declared  her 
innocence,  the  deluded  people 
protested  that  she  was  in  league 
with  the  devil,  and  she  was  ex 
ecuted.  John  Winthrop,  who 
kept  a  diary,  says,  "  The  day  and 
hour  she  was  executed  there 
was  a  very  great  tempest  in 
Connecticut,  which  blew  down 
trees,  and  did  much  damage  "• 
the  superstitious  and  credulous 
people  firmly  believing  that  the 
devil  was  thus  taking  vengeance  upon  the  country. 

Margaret's  husband,  Thomas,  had  a  sorry  time  of  it  after  she  was 
hung:  people  pointed  their  fingers  at  him,  and  made  life  so  unpleasant 
that  he  went  on  board  a  ship  bound  for  Barbadoes.  It  was  a  small  ves- 


THK   IDKA   WAS    ABROAD  THAT   SHK   HAD   A 
LIGNANI   TOUCH." 


WITCHES.  309 

sel,  and  there  were  eighty  horses  on  the  deck,  which  made  it  top-heavy. 
While  at  anchor  in  the  harbor  the  craft  began  to  roll  fearfully,  and  the 
superstitious  sailors  said  that  Thomas  Jones  was  the  cause  of  it,  and  hustled 
him  on  shore  and  into  prison  as  a  witch. 

People  were  such  firm  believers  in  witchcraft,  and  so  credulous,  that 
it  was  easy  to  create  a  suspicion  against  a  person,  and  many  women  were 
accused  of  being  witches  by  their  jealous  and  envious  neighbors.  One 
of  the  settlers  of  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  Hugh  Parsons,  sawed  boards 
and  planks  for  a  living.  He  worked  hard  during  the  day  and  filed  his 
saws  at  night,  and  made  money  faster  than  some  of  his  neighbors,  who 
through  jealousy,  perhaps,  accused  him  of  being  a  witch.  He  was  ar 
rested  ;  and  Hannah  Lankton  and  her  husband  testified  that  one  day  they 
had  a  boiled  pudding  for  dinner,  and  when  they  took  it  out  of  the  bag  it 
was  cut  open  lengthwise,  as  if  with  a  knife.  They  did  not  know  what  to 
make  of  it,  and  said  it  was  bewitched.  They  threw  a  piece  of  it  into  the 
fire,  and  soon  after  Mr.  Parsons  came  to  the  door,  which  convinced  them 
that  he  had  bewitched  it.  A  neighbor  could  not  get  a  tap  out  of  a  beer- 
barrel,  but  Mr.  Parsons  pulled  it  out  without  any  difficulty,  which  was 
sure  proof  that  he  was  a  witch.  Mrs.  Parsons  was  sick  and  became  in 
sane,  and  the  ignorant  people  said  that  she  had  sold  herself  to  the  devil. 
Her  little  child  died,  and  they  said  that  she  and  her  husband  had  poisoned 
it.  They  were  put  in  prison,  and  the  neighbors  testified  against  them. 
One  man  saw  snakes  in  his  room  at  night.  A  woman  saw  a  light  flicker 
ing  around  her  petticoat ;  a  cow  would  not  give  down  her  rnilk ;  a  woman 
had  a  pain  in  her  breast ;  a  little  girl  said  that  she  saw  a  dog,  though  no 
one  else  could  see  it.  Others  saw  things  that  they  could  not  account  for, 
which  made  them  think  that  their  neighbor  Parsons  was  a  witch.  Al 
though  he  and  his  wife  were  cast  into  prison,  the  judges  did  not  think 
they  were  witches,  and  they  were  not  put  to  death.  In  nearly  every 
town  there  were  men  and  women  who  were  suspected  of  being  witches. 

Hampton,  New  Hampshire,  had  a  witch — General  Moulton — who  made 
money  so  fast  that  his  superstitious  neighbors  said  that  the  devil  helped 
him.  One  day  his  house  caught  fire  and  was  burnt,  and  they  said  that 
the  Evil  One  had  done  it  because  the  general  fooled  him.  He  bargained 
with  Satan  to  fill  one  of  his  boots  every  night  with  gold.  The  devil  came 
to  fill  it,  and  was  amazed  to  find  that  it  took  several  cart-loads.  Wonder 
ing  how  so  small  a  boot  could  hold  so  much,  he  made  an  examination,  and 
discovered  that  the  general  had  cut  a  hole  in  the  sole  and  another  in  the 
floor,  that  the  gold  had  run  through  it,  and  that  he  had  filled  the  cellar; 
whereupon  he  blew  a  flame  from  his  mouth  and  set  the  house  on  fire ! 


310  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

I'The  saddest  story  in  the  history  of  our  country  is  that  of  the  witch 
craze  at  Salem,  Massachusettsjtbrought  about  by  a  negro  woman  and  com 
pany  of  girls.  The  negress,  Tituba,  was  a  slave,  whom  Rev.  Samuel  Par 
ris,  one  of  the  ministers  of  Salem,  had  purchased  in  Barbadoes.  We  may 
think  of  Tituba  as  seated  in  the  old  kitchen  of  Mr.  Parris' s  house  during 
the  long  winter  evenings,  telling  witch-stories  to  the  minister's  niece,  Eliz 
abeth,  nine  years  old.  She  draws  a  circle  in  the  ashes  on  the  hearth, 
burns  a  lock  of  hair,  and  mutters  gibberish.  They  are  incantations  to 
call  up  the  devil  and  his  imps.  The  girls  of  the  village  gather  in  the 
old  kitchen  to  hear  Tituba's  stories,  and  to  mutter  words  that  have  no 
meaning.  The  girls  are  Abigail  Williams,  who  is  eleven  ;  Anne  Putnam, 
twelve ;  Mary  Walcot  and  Mary  Lewis,  seventeen ;  Elizabeth  Hubbard, 
Elizabeth  Booth,  and  Susannah  Sheldon,  eighteen;  and  two  servant-girls, 
Mary  Warren  and  Sarah  Churchill.  Tituba  taught  them  to  bark  like 
dogs,  mew  like  cats,  grunt  like  hogs,  to  creep  through  chairs  and  under 
tables  on  their  hands  and  feet,  and  to  pretend  to  have  spasms. 

Mr.  Parris  had  read  the  books  and  pamphlets  published  in  England — 
how  persons  bewitched  acted  like  animals,  and  went  into  spasms,  and  he 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  were  bewitched.  He  sent  for  Doctor 
Griggs,  who  said  that  the  girls  were  not  sick,  and  without  doubt  were 
bewitched. 

The  town  was  on  fire.  People  came  to  see  the  girls,  who,  delighted 
with  the  success  of  their  play,  crept  about  all  the  more  like  cats  and  dogs, 
barking,  mewing,  and  uttering  piercing  screams. 

Sunday  came.;  and  when  the  congregation  had  finished  singing,  Abi 
gail  Williams  said  to  Mr.  Parris,  "Now  stand  up  and  name  your  text." 

The  minister  and  everybody  else  was  amazed,  but  he  read  his  text. 

"  It  is  a  long  one,"  said  Abigail. 

The  minister  went  on  with  his  preaching. 

"  There,  we  have  had  enough  of  that,"  shouted  another  girl. 

"  There  is  a  yellow  bird  on  the  minister's  hat,"  cried  Anne  Putnam. 

The  parents  of  the  girls  stood  aghast,  and  Mr.  Parris,  believing  that 
they  were  assaulted  by  the  devil,  invited  the  ministers  of  the  other  par 
ishes  to  come  and  hold  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer.  The  ministers  as 
sembled,  saw  the  girls  go  into  fits,  rolling  their  eyes,  holding  their  breath, 
muttering  gibberish,  peeping  like  frogs,  barking  like  dogs,  and  devoutly 
believed  that  they  were  bewitched.  They  prayed  solemnly  and  fervently, 
recalling  the  saying  of  Jesus  Christ—"  This  kind  goeth  not  out  except  by 
fasting  and  prayer." 

The  news  spread,  and  the  people  came  in  crowds  to  see  the  girls. 


WITCHES. 


311 


"Who  bewitches  you  ?"  they  asked. 

"  Sarah  Good,  Sarah  Osburn,  and  Tituba,"  said  the  girls. 

Sarah  Good  was  a  poor  old  woman,  who  begged  her  bread  from  door 
to  door.  Sarah  Osburn  was  old,  wrinkled,  and  sickly. 

What  a  scene  was  that  around  the  meeting-house,  March  1st,  1692 ! 
All  Salem  was  there ;  for  the  women  who  were  accused  of  being  witches 
were  to  be  examined  by  the  justices. 

"A  gathering  on  the  village  green — 

The  cocked  hats  crowd  to  see ; 
Their  clothing  ancient  velveteen, 
With  buckles  on  their  knee. 

"A  clustering  round  the  tavern-door, 

Of  square-toed  village  boys, 
Still  wearing  as  their  grandsires'  wore — 
The  Old-world  corduroys." 

Sheriff  and  constable  escorted  the  justices,  John  Hathorne  and  Jon 
athan  Corwin,  from  Thomas  Beadle's  tavern  to  the  meeting-house,  and 
gave  them  seats  in  front  of  the  pulpit.  Rev.  Mr.  Parris  prayed  that  God 


THOMAS  BEADLE'S  TAVERN,  1692. 

would  direct  them.  The  girls  were  there,  and  Sarah  Good  was  brought 
In  by  the  sheriff. 

"Have  you  made  a  contract  with  the  devil?"  asked  Justice  Ha 
thorne. 

"No." 

"Children,  is  this  the  person  who  hurts  you?5' 


312  OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

"Yes;  she  is  sticking  pins  into  us !"  and  the  girls  screeched. 

"Why  do  you  torment  the  children?" 

"I  do  not." 

The  girls  went  on  with  their  screeching,  and  the  justice  and  all  the 
people  were  so  deluded,  and  were  such  firm  believers  in  witchcraft,  that 
they  accepted  all  that  the  girls  said  as  truths,  and  the  denials  of  the 
wrinkled  old  women  as  lies. 

"  Sarah  Osburn,  have  you  made  a  contract  with  the  devil?"  asked  the 
justice. 

"  I  never  saw  the  devil." 

"Why  do  you  hurt  the  children?" 

"I  do  not  hurt  them." 

"She  does!  she  does!"  said  the  girls,  and  the  people  decided  in  their 
minds  against  her. 

"  Tituba,  why  do  you  hurt  the  children  ?" 

"  I  do  not." 

"Who  is  it,  then?" 

"  The  devil,  for  aught  I  know." 

"  Did  you  ever  see  the  devil  ?" 

"  Yes,  he  came  to  me  and  bid  me  serve  him.  Sarah  Good  and  Sarah 
Osburn  wanted  me  to  hurt  the  children,  but  I  would  not." 

"  How  does  the  devil  appear  when  he  comes  to  you  ?" 

"  Sometimes  like  a  hog,  and  sometimes  like  a  great  black  dog." 

"What  else  have  you  seen  ?" 

"  Two  cats ;  one  red,  and  the  other  black.  I  saw  them  last  night,  and 
they  said  '  Serve  me ;'  but  I  would  not." 

"What  did  they  want  you  to  do?" 

"Hurt  the  children." 

"Did  you  not  pinch  Elizabeth  Hubbard  ?" 

"  Yes,  they  made  me  pinch  her,  and  wanted  me  to  kill  her  with  a 
knife." 

"  How  do  you  ride  when  you  go  to  meet  the  devil  ?" 

'  On  a  stick.  I  ride  in  front,  and  Sarah  Good  and  Sarah  Osburn  be 
hind  me.  We  go  up  over  trees,  and  in  a  short  time  are  in  Boston  or  any 
where  else." 

Tituba  had  a  great  many  other  things  to  narrate — that  the  devil  some 
times  wore  a  tall  black  hat;  that  one  of  his  imps  was  about  three  feet 
high,  hairy  all  over,  and  had  a  long  nose ;  that  the  imp  came  into  Mr. 
Parris's  house  and  stood  by  the  fire. 

The  people  believed  her.     Would  she  be  likely  to  admit  that  she  was 


WITCHES. 


313 


a  witch  if  she  were  not  one  ?  The  girls  accused  her  of  pinching  them,  and 
she  acknowledged  that  she  did  so ;  and  the  girls,  therefore,  were  telling 
the  truth,  and  Sarah  Osburn  and  Sarah  Good,  in  denying  that  they  were 
witches,  were  telling  a  lie.  So  the  justice  and  the  people  reasoned,  and 
the  sheriff  took  them  to  Ipswich  jail,  ten  miles  away,  and  the  people  went 
home  to  talk  over  the  wonderful  event. 

The  ministers  of  Salem,  Boston,  and  the  surrounding  towns  met  to 
consult  upon  the  matter.  Among  them  was  the  learned  Cotton  Mather, 
who  accepted  as  truthful  the  terrible  accounts  that  reached  him  from 
England.  Few  if  any  doubted  that  the  girls  were  bewitched ;  and  they, 
finding  it  pleasant  to  have  so  much  notice  taken  of  them,  went  on  with 
their  creeping,  barking,  mewing,  and  falling  into  convulsions,  and  crying 


REBECCA    NURSE  S    HOME. 


that  somebody  was  sticking  pins  into  them.  They  accused  Martha  Corey 
and  Rebecca  Nurse,  two  women  who  were  kind  to  the  poor,  and  very  re 
ligious  ;  but  so  credulous  were  Rev.  Mr.  Parris  and  Rev.  Mr.  Noyes,  and 
everybody  else,  that  they  were  arrested.  When  they  were  examined  be 
fore  the  justice,  the  girls  all  cried  out  that  the  women  were  torment 
ing  them.  "  I  am  as  innocent  as  a  child  unborn,"  said  Mrs.  Nurse ;  but 
the  people,  the  ministers,  the  justices,  all  had  lost  their  heads,  and  the 
women  were  committed  to  prison.  Mrs.  Good  had  a  little  girl,  Dorcas, 
five  years  old,  and  the  bewitched  girls  said  that  Dorcas  helped  her  mother 
in  tormenting  them.  "She  bites  me!"  they  cried,  and  showed  the  prints 
of  teeth  on  their  arms.  The  sheriff  thereupon  arrested  Dorcas  and  put 
her  in  prison,  where  she  was  chained  with  her  mother ;  for  it  was  be- 


314  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

lieved  that  unless  the  witches  were  chained  they  would  fly  out  through 
the  key-hole.  Sarah  Cloyse  and  Elizabeth  Proctor  were  the  next  persons 
accused.  The  judges  met  sometimes  at  Thomas  Beadle's  tavern,  some 
times  in  the  meeting-house. 

The  news  spread.  No  one  doubted  that  the  devil  had  come  in  great 
wrath  to  afflict  the  good  people  of  Salem.  Eev.  Mr.  Lawson,  Rev.  Mr. 
Parris,  Eev.  Mr.  Noyes,  and  other  ministers  preached  sermons  against 
witchcraft,  setting  forth  that  these  manifestations  were  without  doubt 
produced  by  the  devil.  The  whole  colony  was  excited,  and  Lieutenant- 
governor  Danforth  and  his  councillors — six  hundred  men — went  to  Salem 
to  sit  in  judgment  at  the  trial  of  Sarah  and  Elizabeth.  Abigail  Williams 
brought  a  horrible  accusation. 

"  I  saw  a  company  of  witches  at  the  Rev.  Mr.  Parris's  house,"  she 
said;  "there  were  forty  of  them.  They  had  a  sacrament,  and  Sarah 
Cloyse  and  Sarah  Good  were  their  deacons,  and  the  witches  drank  blood." 

When  Sarah  Cloyse  fainted  at  the  terrible  accusation,  the  girls  went 
into  convulsions,  and  John,  Mr.  Parris's  negro,  rolled  and  tumbled  upon 
the  floor,  and  all  cried  that  the  witches  were  tormenting  them.  Governor 
Danforth  and  his  councillors  were  amazed.  The  prisoners  had  no  one  to 
help  them,  for  there  were  few  lawyers  in  America  in  those  days.  The 
governor  and  the  judges  asked  them  questions,  assuming  at  the  outset 
that  they  were  witches,  and  the  poor  women,  friendless  and  alone,  as 
tounded,  knew  not  what  to  say.  They  could  only  say,  "  We  are  inno 
cent."  Though  they  said  it,  the  governor,  judges,  and  everybody  else  be 
lieved  the  girls,  and  the  poor  women  were  thrust  into  prison. 

Instead  of  there  being  fewer  witches,  there  were  more,  and  in  a  short 
time  the  jails  were  filled  with  men  and  women.  Among  those  arrested 
was  Rev.  George  Burroughs,  who  had  once  preached  in  Salem,  but  who 
was  living  in  Maine.  The  sheriff  made  a  long  journey  to  arrest  him. 

Not  only  the  girls  and  Tituba,  but  others  accused  those  arrested  of 
being  witches.  If  a  man  had  anything  against  his  neighbor,  it  was  easy 
for  him  to  take  revenge  by  accusing  him  of  exercising  witchcraft.  Sam 
uel  Shattuck,  who  dyed  clothes  for  a  living,  had  trouble  with  Bridget 
Bishop.  John  the  negro  also  had  a  grievance  against  her,  and  testified 
that  she  was  a  witch.  "  I  saw  her  go  through  a  hole  no  larger  than  my 
hand,"  said  John  ;  and  the  judges  accepted  his  testimony.  Samuel  Shat- 
tuck's  child  had  fits.  "  I  believe  it  is  the  work  of  Bridget,"  he  said. 
What  should  the  judges  do  ?  What  but  condemn  them  to  be  hung.  The 
Bible  commanded  that  witches  should  not  be  suffered  to  live.  For  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  the  laws  of  England  had  been  in  force  against 


WITCHES. 


315 


witches.  Thirty  thousand  had  been  executed  in  England.  Parliament  had 
appointed  a  witch-finder.  King  James  had  written  a  book  against  them. 
Archbishop  Jewell  had  begged  Queen  Elizabeth  to  burn  them.  Rev. 
Richard  Baxter,  whose  name  was  reverenced  everywhere,  had  written 
against  witches.  In  all  lands  they  were  regarded  as  the  enemies  of  God 
and  man,  and  here  they  were  conspiring  with  the  Evil  One  against  the 
lives,  the  peace,  and  happiness  of  the  community.  The  great  and  good 
Lord  Chief-justice  of  England,  Matthew  Hale,  had  condemned  those  to 
death  who  were  not  near  so  diabolical  as  the  accused,  and  had  written  a 
book  showing  from  the  Bible  that  witches  were  in  league  with  the  devil. 
Besides  everybody  in  Salem,  the  friends  and  neighbors  all  believed  that 
the  accused  were  witches,  and  ought  to  be  put  to  death.  They  were 
magistrates,  appointed  of  God,  as  they  believed,  to  administer  the  laws 
faithfully  and  impartially.  They  themselves  had  seen  the  girls  go  into 
convulsions,  and  heard  them  cry  when  the  witches  pinched  them.  With 
the  rest  of  the  world,  the  judges  lost  their  heads,  and  condemned  the 
poor  creatures  to  death. 

Through  the  streets  of  Salem  rattled  the  cart  that  bore  them  to  the 
place  of  execution,  out  to  a  hill  overlooking  the  village,  where  a  gallows 
was  erected.  They  climbed  the  ladder  with  the  halter  around  their 
necks,  men  and  women,  the  minister,  and  those  who  had  listened  to  his 
preaching.  People  gazed  in  horror  upon  their  old  friends  and  neigh- 


SHATTUCK  S    HOUSE. 


bors,  swinging  in  the  air  and  struggling  in  the  throes  of  death ;  and  when 
life  was  extinct,  the  bodies  were  thrown  into  holes,  and  earth  heaped  above 
them.  They  trampled  it  down,  and  thought  of  them  as  suffering  the  tor- 


316 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


inents  of  the  devil.  How  horrible  !  yet,  if  we  had  been  living  then,  we  too 
should  have  lost  our  judgment,  reason,  and  common-sense,  as  the  people, 
the  wisest  and  best  men  of  1692,  lost  their  judgment,  under  the  terrible 
delusion,  wild  foundation,  and  lamentable  ignorance  of  that  period. 


THK    HILL    ON    WHICH    THEY    WERE    HUNG. 


Sad  to  think  that  nineteen  were  hung ;  that  Giles  Corey,  who  would 
either  say  "  Guilty  "  or  "  Not  Guilty,"  had  rocks  piled  upon  him  till  he 
was  crushed  to  death;  that  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  and  women 
were  thrown  into  prison  before  people  came  to  their  senses ! 

The  wife  of  Rev.  Mr.  Hale,  of  Beverly,  was  accused.  There  was  not 
a  woman  in  Massachusetts  more  beloved,  honored,  and  respected.  The 
people  were  amazed.  They  could  not  believe  that  so  godly  a  woman 
could  be  in  league  with  the  devil.  They  began  to  see,  what  they  had  not 
before  thought  of,  that  the  testimony  of  the  girls  had  been  only  assertion 
that  the  witches  were  tormenting  them.  The  judges  had  not  questioned 
the  girls,  but  the  accused  instead ;  and  the  denials  of  the  accused  had 
been  regarded  as  lies,  while  the  assertion  of  the  girls  had  been  accepted 
as  the  truth. 

The  spell  was  broken.  People  saw  that  they  had  been  under  a  delu 
sion.  One  of  the  judges,  Samuel  Sewall,  made  a  humble  confession  on 
Sunday  in  the  Old  South  Church  in  Boston,  with  tears  rolling  down  his 
cheeks,  and  ever  after,  so  long  as  he  lived,  kept  a  day  of  fasting  and  re 
pentance  once  a  year  to  manifest  his  sorrow  to  the  world. 

"  Touching  and  sad  a  tale  is  told, 
Like  a  penitent  hymn  of  the  Psalmist  old, 


WITCHES.  317 

Of  the  fast  which  the  good  man  life-long  kept, 
With  a  haunting  sorrow  that  never  slept, 
As  the  circling  years  brought  round  the  time 
Of  an  error  that  left  the  sting  of  crime." 

The  sheriff  threw  open  the  prison  doors,  and  the  girls,  finding  that  no 
one  believed  their  accusations,  had  no  more  stories  to  tell  of  being  tor 
mented.  So  the  great  wave  of  superstition,  that  had  sent  hundreds  of 
thousands  to  an  untimely  grave  in  Europe,  died  out  in  the  village  of 
Salem. 

Some  of  the  girls  made  humble  confession  of  their  sin  and  folly,  and 
endeavored  by  right  living  to  atone  for  the  past,  but  found  little  happi 
ness  in  life,  for  ever  before  their  eyes  were  the  swinging  forms  of  those 
who  had  died  upon  the  gibbet.  Nothing  that  they  could  do  could  ever 
recall  the  dead  from  their  graves.  What  they  had  begun  in  sport  ended 
in  a  terrible  tragedy. 


318  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE    LEGACY    OF    BLOOD. 

SPAIN  was  a  great  empire — including  South  America,  Mexico,  Florida, 
the  West  Indies,  Italy,  and  Sicily.  The  King  of  Spain,  Charles  II., 
was  dying.  He  was  childless ;  who  should  succeed  him  ?  His  oldest 
sister  was  Queen  of  France,  wife  of  Louis  XIY. ;  his  youngest  Empress  of 
Germany,  wife  of  Leopold  of  Austria.  All  Europe  would  be  by  the  ears 
if  a  descendant  of  either  of  the  sisters  were  to  be  king  of  the  whole  Span 
ish  realm. 

Louis  XIY.  for  France,  and  William  III.  for  England  and  Holland, 
set  themselves  up  as  administrators  of  the  estate  of  the  King  of  Spain  in 
advance  of  his  death.  They  agreed  that  the  Archduke  Charles  of  Austria 
should  succeed  him,  and  have  the  Netherlands,  America,  and  the  West 
Indies :  that  France  should  have  the  Spanish  possessions  in  Italy.  They 
never  consulted  the  people  of  those  countries  as  to  what  would  be  agree 
able  to  them,  but  laid  their  plans  regardless  of  the  wishes  of  everybody. 

While  making  this  agreement  with  William,  Louis  XIY.  was  pulling 
secret  wires,  sending  ambassadors  to  Koine  to  pull  wires  in  the  Yatican, 
and  other  ambassadors  and  agents  to  Madrid,  to  manage  affairs  there  in 
the  palace  of  the  dying  king;  and  when,  on  the  3d  of  November,  1700, 
Charles  died,  and  all  the  grandees  of  Spain  and  the  ambassadors  of  Eng 
land  and  Austria  assembled  in  the  great  hall  of  the  palace  to  hear  the 
reading  of  the  king's  will,  they  learned  that  Charles  had  bequeathed  ev 
erything  to  the  grandson  of  Louis  XIY.,  Philip  of  Aragon.  Leopold  of 
Austria  was  not  the  man  to  sit  down  submissively  after  such  a  blow  be 
tween  the  eyes ;  he  made  preparations  for  war. 

It  was  midsummer,  1701,  and  James  II.  of  England  was  dying  in  the 
palace  of  St.  Germain.  For  thirteen  years  he  had  waited  for  some  event 
that  would  restore  him  to  the  throne  of  England.  Yain  his  waiting.  He 
had  thrown  away  his  crown,  and  the  people  of  England  never  again 
would  recognize  him  or  his  descendants  as  their  legitimate  sovereign. 
Mary  of  Modena,  a  bigoted  queen,  but  a  loving  and  devoted  wife, 


THE   LEGACY  OF  BLOOD. 


319 


watched  by  his  side  through  the  waning  hours,  thinking  of  the  future  of 
her  boy  of  thirteen.  If  Louis  would  but  recognize  him  as  rightful  heir 
to  the  throne  of  England,  perhaps  in  time  he  might  be  king.  Madame 
de  Main  tenon  was  her  friend,  and  Louis  would  do  anything  for  madame. 

Louis  XIY.  rode  from  Versailles  to  St.  Germain  to  bid  a  last  farewell 
to  James. 

"  I  am  come  to  say  that,  whenever  it  shall  please  God  to  call  your 
Majesty  out  of  this  world,  I  will  take  your  family  under  my  protection, 
and  recognize  your  son  as  Prince  of  Wales,  and  as  the  heir  of  your  three 
realms,"  said  the  King  of  France. 

Louis  had  no  thought  as  to  what  would  grow  out  of  that  promise; 


PALACE    OF    ST.  GERMAIN. 


possibly,  even  if  he  had  foreseen  the  future,  he  would  not  have  recalled 
it.  What  cared  he  for  human  woe!  He  did  not  see  that  it  would  be 
the  beginning  of  a  mighty  struggle  between  France  and  England ;  that 
three-quarters  of  a  century  would  roll  away  before  it  would  end.  In 
consequence  of  those  words  the  scalping -knife  and  tomahawk  were  to 
gleam  in  the  hands  of  blood-thirsty  savages,  from  the  Penobscot  to  the 
Hudson :  men  would  be  shot  in  cold  blood ;  women  would  see  their  in 
fants  dashed  upon  the  rocks,  and  they  themselves  would  endure  all  the 
horrors  of  captivity  in  the  wilderness.  Burning  dwellings  would  illu 
mine  the  midnight  sky,  and  there  would  be  no  end  of  woe. 

Up  to  the  utterance  of  that  promise,  England  had  takeoi  no  part  in 


320  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES 

the  contest  over  the  question  of  who  should  be  King  of  Spain  ;  but  Louis 
had  violated  the  agreement  made  at  Ryswick,  and  England  joined  in  the 
mighty  struggle. 

On  the  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  ninety  miles  above  Quebec,  was  the 
Indian  town  of  St.  Francis,  established  by  the  Jesuits.  It  was  a  cluster 
of  wigwams,  with  a  chapel  and  a  parsonage  for  the  priests.  The  Indians 
were  the  remnants  of  several  tribes,  which  war  had  thinned  out.  Morn 
ing  and  evening  they  met  in  the  chapel,  counted  their  beads,  kneeled 
before  the  image  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  said  the  prayers  taught  them 
by  the  Jesuits ;  but  in  everything  else,  in  habits,  in  all  Christian  virtues 
and  graces,  they  were  savages  still.  They  were  called  St.  Francis  Indians, 
and  were  ever  ready  to  do  the  bidding  of  their  priests. 

Although  war  had  been  raging  in  Europe,  and  the  armies  of  England 
and  France  had  met  in  battle,  all  was  peaceful  in  America.  The  settlers 
were  clearing  the  forests,  sowing  and  reaping.  Why  should  they  trouble 
themselves  about  conflicts  three  thousand  miles  away?  Not  so  the  Jesuit 
priests  at  St.  Francis,  Quebec,  and  Montreal ;  they  were  taking  part  in  the 
struggle.  England  was  Protestant,  France  Roman  Catholic.  Protestants 
were  heretics — enemies  of  God — who  ought  to  be  exterminated.  It  was 
right  to  employ  any  means,  to  commit  murder  even,  if  the  glory  of  God 
could  be  promoted.  They  urged  the  Indians  to  begin  war  against  the 
English  in  Maine.  Governor  Dudley,  of  Massachusetts,  heard  of  their  do 
ings,  and  invited  all  the  chiefs,  from  the  Merrimac  to  the  Penobscot,  to 
meet  him  for  a  friendly  talk,  and  they  assembled  at  Falmouth — now  Port 
land — June  20th,  1703.  Bomazeen,  one  of  the  chiefs,  spoke  for  them  all : 

"  The  French  friars  have  asked  us  to  go  to  war,  but  their  words  have 
not  moved  us.  As  far  as  the  sun  is  from  the  earth  are  our  thoughts  of 
taking  the  hatchet." 

The  Indians  gave  the  governor  a  belt  of  wampum,  and  heaped  a  pile 
of  stones,  to  let  him  know  that  they  spoke  the  truth. 

August  came,  the  settlers  were  harvesting  their  grain,  not  knowing 
that  through  the  summer  months  the  priests  had  been  urging  the  In 
dians  to  wipe  out  all  the  settlements  at  Berwick  and  Kittery,  on  the  Pis- 
cataqua ;  at  York,  ten  miles  eastward ;  at  Wells,  Scarborough,  and  the 
hamlets  on  Casco  Bay,  at  a  single  blow ;  that  along  the  entire  distance  for 
fifty  miles,  five  hundred  Indians  were  ready  to  begin  their  bloody  work 
at  the  same  instant. 

On  the  morning  of  August  10th  the  blow  fell.  At  Berwick  five 
were  killed ;  but  the  other  settlers,  hearing  the  alarm,  fled  to  the  garrison, 
and  Captain  JSTeale  and  his  men  killed  nine  Indians,  and  wounded  several 


THE  LEGACY  OF  BLOOD.  321 

others.  The  Indians,  in  their  rage  over  their  ill-success,  tied  Joseph  Ring 
to  a  stake  and  burnt  him  to  death.  They  went  out  in  their  canoes  and 
captured  a  vessel,  killing  the  crew,  seven  in  number.  At  Spurwink,  one 
of  the  settlements  on  Casco  Bay,  the  Indians  butchered  twenty-two.  At 
Purpooduck  they  massacred  twenty-five,  and  captured  eight. 

They  appeared  before  the  new  fort  at  Falmouth,  where  Major  March 
was  in  command,  held  up  a  white  flag,  and  made  signs  that  they  had 
no  arms.  Major  March  and  two  men  went  out  to  talk  with  them,  when 
suddenly  each  Indian  (there  were  three  of  them)  whipped  out  a  toma 
hawk  from  beneath  their  blankets,  and  struck  at  the  major  and  his  com 
panions.  Crack !  crack !  went  the  guns  of  several  Indians  in  ambush. 
One  of  the  men  with  the  major  fell  mortally  wounded.  The  major  was 
brave  and  strong.  He  knocked  one  of  the  tomahawks  aside,  wrenched 
another  out  of  the  hands  of  an  Indian,  and  kept  all  at  bay  until  Lieuten 
ant  Hook  came  to  his  rescue.  They  retreated  to  the  fort,  carrying  the 
wounded  man.  The  Indians  spent  a  week  around  the  fort,  but  could  not 
capture  it. 

What  a  scene  is  that  which  the  sun  of  August  10th  reveals !  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty-five  mangled  corpses — tall  columns  of  smoke  ascending 


GARRISON   HOUSE,  YORK. 

to  heaven ;  all  the  way  from  the  Piscataqua  to  Casco,  a  crowd  of  men, 
women,  and  children  going  into  captivity  ! 

The  Indians  tried  to  capture  Stephen  Harding,  who  lived  in  "Wells. 
He  was  a  great  hunter,  and  knew  all  their  tricks,  and  could  follow  a  trail 
as  well  as  they.  Often  he  went  into  the  wilderness  as  far  as  the  White 
Mountains,  while  hunting.  He  loved  the  solitudes ;  but  he  had  married, 
and  his  wife  and  young  child  were  dear  to  him.  He  saw  signs  that  the 
Indians  were  near. 
21 


322  OLD  TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 

"  Take  the  baby  and  go  through  the  cornfield  to  an  oak-tree,  and  wait 
for  me.  I  will  see  if  the  redskins  are  prowling  around  here,"  he  said  to 
his  wife. 

She  went  with  the  baby.  He  gave  a  whoop.  Instantly  a  party  of 
Indians  ran  toward  the  house,  thinking  one  of  their  number  had  given 
the  signal.  All  rushed  to  the  door.  While  they  were  trying  to  burst  it 
open  he  leaped  through  a  window,  joined  his  wife,  but  alas !  she  had 
fainted.  He  was  strong,  took  her  under  one  arm,  and  the  baby  and  rifle 
under  the  other,  and  ran  through  the  woods.  The  Indians  did  not  dare 
to  follow;  they  knew  that  he  never  fired  without  killing  his  game. 
Night  came,  and  Stephen  kept  guard  while  his  wife  and  baby  slept. 
They  had  only  blueberries  for  supper  and  breakfast ;  but  they  reached 
the  fort,  nine  miles  distant,  in  safety. 

So,  through  the  instigation  of  the  Jesuits,  the  bloody  work  began. 
Winter  came.  The  snow  was  deep,  but  not  too  deep  to  prevent  Francois 
Hertel,  who  had  massacred  the  inhabitants  of  Fal mouth,  from  marching 
once  more  to  plunder  and  destroy  the  English.  He  started  from  the  vil 
lage  of  St.  Francis  with  three  hundred  and  forty  French  and  Indians. 
They  loaded  themselves  down  with  heavy  packs,  piled  their  provisions  on 
hand-sleds,  and  walked  on  snow-shoes.  They  toiled  through  the  wilder 
ness  of  Canada  to  the  head-waters  of  the  Connecticut,  and  down  its  valley 
to  the  little  town  of  Deerfield,  in  Massachusetts.  On  the  last  day  of 
February,  Hertel  stood  on  a  bluff  amidst  the  tall  pines,  two  miles  north 
of  the  settlement.  There  was  a  hard  crust,  and  across  the  gleaming  snow 
he  could  see  the  little  settlement.  Leaving  their  packs,  the  French  and 
Indians  moved  stealthily  toward  the  garrison.  No  sentinel  was  on  the 
watch.  The  snow  lay  in  a  huge  drift  against  the  palisade;  they  walked 
over  it  and  entered  the  village.  De  Rouville  posted  his  men,  two  or 
more  at  each  house.  Then  came  the  whoop,  and  the  bursting  in  of  doors. 
Mr.  Williams  is  the  minister.  He  springs  from  his  bed,  seizes  a  pistol, 
aims  it  at  the  heart  of  an  Indian.  It  misses  fire,  and  he  is  seized  and  tied. 
Two  of  his  children  are  massacred  before  his  eyes.  Mrs.  Williams  has  a 
young  child,  but  she  is  pulled  from  her  bed  and  driven  out  into  the  snow. 
All  around  the  work  of  death  goes  on.  What  a  scene  is  that  which  the 
sun  shines  upon  in  the  morning!  Forty  or  more  mangled  corpses;  the 
snow  crimsoned  with  blood  ;  burning  buildings.  One  hundred  and  eight 
men,  women,  and  children  driven — some  of  them  barefooted  and  thinly- 
clad — through  the  snow,  northward,  toward  Canada,  to  perish  in  the 
wilderness;  to  be  starved,  to  fall  before  the  tomahawk,  to  endure  the 
hardships,  toil,  suffering,  and  woe  of  the  terrible  march.  At  sunrise 


THE  LEGACY  OF  BLOOD.  325 

De  Rouville  is  on  hi's  march.  He  has  struck  his  blow,  and  is  hastening 
away  with  his  captives,  knowing  that  the  settlers  of  the  valley  will  be 
upon  him  if  he  lingers.  Day  after  day,  in  the  snow  or  wading  through 
streams,  the  captives  drag  their  weary  limbs,  loaded  down  with  the  plun 
der  of  their  own  house,  which  their  captors  compel  them  to  carry.  Mrs, 
Williams's  strength  is  failing.  She  talks  with  her  husband  sweetly  and 
serenely  of  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens.  She 
comes  to  a  swollen  river,  whose  rushing  waters  sweep  her  down ;  but 
with  a  struggle  she  reaches  the  shore.  Her  Indian  captor,  who  calls  him 
self  a  Christian  Indian,  steps  behind  her  and  buries  his  tomahawk  in  her 
skull.  She  sinks  upon  the  snow,  crimsoning  it  with  her  Hood. 

The  promise  of  Louis  XIY.  to  the  dying  James  is  bearing  its  fruit. 
One  by  one  the  sick  and  wreak  go  down  beneath  the  tomahawk,  and  the 
bodies  are  left  in  the  wilderness. 

Not  all  the  houses  in  Deerh'eld  were  burnt.  One  was  courageously 
defended  by  seven  men,  who  fired  from  the  windows  upon  the  enemy ; 
the  brave  women  with  them  ran  bullets  and  loaded  their  guns.  Many 
times  the  French  and  Indians  tried  to  set  the  house  on  fire,  but  without 
avail.  Captain  Stoddard,  watching  his  chance,  leaped  from  a  window,  and 
ran  to  Hatfield  and  gave  the  alarm.  Quickly  the  people  were  on  De 
Rouville's  track,  came  up  with  him  and  had  a  battle,  but  were  obliged  to 
retreat.  The  French  officer  hastened  up  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut 
to  White  River,  and  then  divided  his  party — a  portion  going  to  Lake 
Champlain,  and  a  portion  up  the  Connecticut  to  Montreal.  He  had  de 
stroyed  a  settlement,  killed  or  captured  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty,  los 
ing  about  forty  of  his  own  men. 

How  should  the  war  be  waged  ?  It  was  little  use  for  the  English  to 
follow  the  Indians.  Their  bloody  work  was  done  in  an  hour,  and  in  a 
few  days  they  would  be  back  in  Canada.  They  were  more  savage  than 
the  wild  beasts.  Why  not  treat  them  as  such  ?  Massachusetts  and  New 
Hampshire  offered  a  reward  of  twenty  pounds  for  every  Indian  captured 
under  ten  years  of  age,  and  forty  pounds  for  every  scalp  of  an  Indian 
over  ten.  If  the  Jesuits  were  to  make  it  a  war  of  extermination,  so 
would  they. 

In  1704,  Captain  Benjamin  Church,  with  five  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
ravaged  all  the  French  settlements  east  of  the  Penobscot — burning  build 
ings,  and  capturing  all  he  could  lay  his  hands  upon. 

The  price  set  upon  the  Indians'  heads  made  them  more  afraid.  But 
in  1705  they  fell  upon  the  settlers  at  Cape  Neddick,  in  Maine,  and  killed 
seven.  At  Kittery  they  shot  Mr.  Shapleigh,  and  carried  his  son  to  Can* 


326  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

ada.  An  Indian  cut  off  the  boy's  fingers,  and  then  thrust  the  bleeding 
stumps  into  their  hot  tobacco-pipes  and  laughed  at  his  agony.  They 
attacked  the  settlements  in  New  Hampshire  at  Dover  and  Durham. 

One  day  Colonel  Hilton  went  out  with  a  scou ting-party  and  killed 
four  warriors,  and  captured  a  squaw.  She  begged  for  her  life.  " 1  will 
show  you  more  Indians,"  she  said,  and  led  them  to  a  camp  where  eighteen 
were  asleep.  It  was  just  at  daybreak.  Colonel  Hilton  posted  his  men ; 
each  picked  out  an  Indian.  Crack  went  their  guns;  aL  were  killed  but 
one,  who  was  captured. 

At  Winter  harbor,  not  far  from  Saco,  there  were  two  fishing-boats  at 
anchor,  with  eight  men  on  board,  Suddenly  a  great  company  of  Indians 
appeared  in  their  canoes,  The  men  in  one  of  the  boats  jumped  ink)  the 
other,  cut  the  cable,  and  hoisted  the  sail.  There  are  eight  in  all,  who 
pour  a  volley  into  the  canoes.  Some  of  the  Indians  drop  into  the  water, 
others  leap  on  board  the  fishing-boat,  They  do  not  know  how  to  man 
age  it;  but  the  Indians  in  the  canoe  take  it  in  tow,  ply  their  paddles,  and 
hasten  on.  They  are  a  fine  mark  for  the  sailors,  who  pick  them  off  one 
by  one.  There  are  one  hundred  and  fifty  Indians  against  eight  white 
men.  The  bullets  fly  thick  and  fast,  boring  holes  through  the  sail,  strik 
ing  the  keel,  spattering  into  the  water.  One  strikes  Benjamin  Daniels, 
who  knows  that  he  has  but  a  few  moments  to  live. 

"  Give  me  a  gun,  quick !  that  I  may  kill  one  more  before  I  die,"  he 
cries,  fires  his  last  shot,  and  lies  lifeless  upon  the  deck. 

Not  till  nine  are  killed  and  eighteen  wounded  do  the  Indians  give  up 
the  battle.  Daniels  is  the  only  one  injured  on  the  vessel. 

Twice  has  Francois  Hertel  massacred  the  English,  and  he  thirsts  for 
more  blood.  A  grand  expedition  is  planned.  Once  more  he  starts,  trav 
ersing  the  pathless  wilderness  to  the  White  Mountains,  and  southward  to 
the  beautiful  Winnipisseogee.  He  sets  up  his  camp  upon  the  shores  of 
the  lake,  and  waits  for  the  Indians  of  Maine  to  join  him,  The  Jesuits 
have  been  among  them ;  hut  they  have  lost  so  many  warriors,  there  is 
such  a  price  upon  their  heads,  that  they  are  weary  of  war,  and  would  be 
glad  to  bnry  the  hatchet.  Hertel  has  intended  to  wipe  out  Portsmouth, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Piscataqua ;  but,  as  the  Indians  do  not  come,  he  does 
not  dare  to  make  the  attempt,  He  will  fall  upon  Haverhill. 

August  29th,  1708,  is  a  calm  and  peaceful  day.  The  settlers  of  the 
little  village  lie  down  to  sleep,  having  no  suspicion  of  the  presence  of  the 
foe.  The  daylight  streaks  the  east.  Hertel  arouses  his  Christian  savages. 
They  ask  the  Virgin  to  protect  them,  divide  into  parties,  and  give  the 
war-whoop.  They  rush  upon  the  minister's  house  — Rev.  Mr.  Rolfc's. 


THE  LEGACY  OF  BLOOD.  327 

There  are  three  soldiers  on  guard  within,  but  are  so  frightened  that  they 
know  not  what  to  do.  Mr.  Rolfe  springs  out  of  bed  to  hold  the  door. 
The  Indians  fire  through  it  and  wound  him  in  the  elbow,  burst  it  in, 
bury  their  hatchets  in  his  skull,  kill  Mrs.  Rolfe,  dash  out  the  brains  of 
their  infant  child  upon  a  stone,  and  hack  the  cowardly  soldiers  to  pieces. 
They  shoot  Thomas  Hartshorn  and  his  two  sons,  smash  the  skull  of  the 
third,  shoot  John  Johnston,  massacre  his  wife  by  his  side.  Simon  Wain- 
wright  is  killed  at  the  first  fire.  Mrs.  Hartshorn,  with  all  of  her  children 
except  the  baby,  which  is  on  a  bed  up-stairs,  go  down  through  a  trap 
door  into  the  cellar.  The  Indians  do  not  discover  the  door,  but  they  go 
up-stairs  and  toss  the  baby  out  of  the  window,  which,  though  it  falls  upon 
a  pile  of  boards,  is  not  killed — only  stunned.  The  Indians  and  French 
attack  Mr.  Swan's  house.  Mrs.  Swan  is  a  plucky  woman,  and  holds  the 
door  against  them.  One  of  the  savages  gets  it  partly  open  and  runs  his 
arm  in  to  undo  the  fastening,  but  Mrs.  Swan,  seizing  an  iron  skewer, 
drives  it  through  his  arm,  to  pin  him  to  the  door-post.  Nathan  Simons 
shoots  two  of  the  savages.  Mr.  Davis  is  an  intrepid  man.  He  runs  out 
of  his  house  and  shouts,  "  Come  on  I"  as  if  he  had  a  company  of  men. 
The  enemy  take  to  their  heels.  They  have  set  the  meeting-house  on  fire, 
but  the  settlers  put  it  out.  Captain  Samuel  Ayer  musters  a  company, 
follows  Hertel.  corning  up  with  him  and  giving  battle.  Captain  Ayer  is 
killed ;  Hertel's  brother  is  killed ;  and  thirty  others  of  the  enemy.  Six 
teen  of  the  settlers  lay  down  their  lives,  and  thirty-three  are  wounded  or 
captured. 

To  strike  a  blow  in  return  for  all  these  attacks,  a  fleet  sailed  from  Bos 
ton  to  Acadia  and  captured  Port  Royal,  changing  the  name  to  Annapolis, 
in  honor  of  Anne,  Queen  of  England. 

The  next  year  the  English  Government  sent  a  fleet  under  Sir  Hoven- 
den  Walker,  with  an  army,  to  capture  Quebec ;  but  the  admiral  was  pig 
headed  and  incompetent.  Eight  of  his  vessels  were  wrecked  in  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  nearly  nine  hundred  men  drowned ;  and  the  grand  expe 
dition  came  to  an  inglorious  end. 

For  twelve  years  the  war  raged  in  Europe  and  in  America,  till,  ex 
hausted  by  the  struggle,  Louis  XIV.  consented  to  make  peace,  which  was 
signed  at  Utrecht,  April  llth,  1713. 


328  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


CHAPTEE  XXVII. 

MAINE  AND  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

ON  the  banks  of  the  Kennebec,  at  a  favorite  fishing-place  of  the  In 
dians,  Sebastian  Eale,  Jesuit  from  France,  built  a  chapel,  and  set  up 
the  cross  and  an  image  of  the  Virgin.  Upon  the  chapel  walls  were  pict 
ures  of  his  own  painting,  portraying  the  bliss  of  the  redeemed  and  tor 
ments  of  the  damned.  The  Indians  were  ever  his  children,  and  he  their 
father.  He  was  so  kind  that  they  regarded  him  as  their  true  friend. 
If  they  went  on  a  grand  hunting  expedition,  Father  Rale  joined  them ; 
when  they  left  their  village  at  Norridgewock  in  midsummer  for  a  sojourn 
at  the  sea-shore,  he  accompanied  them.  For  twenty-five  years  he  labored 
with  untiring  zeal  to  convert  them  to  the  Catholic  faith.  Such  patience 
and  energy  brought  its  reward.  The  dusky  warriors  threw  aside  their 
"  medicine  "  charms,  and  were  baptized  as  Christians.  Forty  Indian  boys 
in  white  gowns  chanted  the  Sunday  service.  On  gala-days  they  marched 
in  procession,  bearing  banners  and  crosses.  Those  who  had  not  been  bap 
tized  still  regarded  him  as  their  father.  By  acts  of  friendship,  by  untir 
ing  devotion  and  quenchless  zeal,  he  made  his  power  and  influence  felt 
among  the  Indians  from  the  Hudson  to  the  Gulf  of  Newfoundland. 

At  the  beginning  of  Queen  Anne's  War,  Governor  Dudley,  of  Massa 
chusetts,  sent  Colonel  Hilton  to  seize  the  man  who  was  wielding  such 
mighty  influence  against  the  English.  Colonel  Hilton  reached  Norridge- 
wock  in  midwinter,  but  did  not  find  Father  Eale,  who  had  gone  to  Que 
bee.  He  burnt  the  chapel  and  returned. 

When  the  war  closed,  and  peace  was  signed  at  Utrecht  in  1713,  it  was 
agreed  that  Maine,  Nova  Scotia,  and  Acadia  should  belong  to  England. 
The  Indians  met  Governor  Shute,  of  Massachusetts,  on  an  island  in  the 
Kennebec,  and  promised  to  be  faithful  subjects  of  Great  Britain ;  and 
agreed  that  the  English  might  occupy  the  former  settlements,  and  that 
they  would  not  molest  them. 

The  agreement  was  very  distasteful  to  Sebastian  Eale.  He  was  a 
Frenchman,  and  he  saw  the  few  French  settlers  moving  from  the  Pe- 


MAINE  AND  NEW  HAMPSHIRE.  329 

nobscot,  and  Englishmen  taking  their  place.  They  were  at  York,  Saco, 
Wells,  and  Kennebunk.  The  smoke  of  their  log-cabins  was  curling  over 
the  waters  of  Casco  Bay.  They  were  moving  farther  up  the  Piscataqua 
and  Merrimac;  soon  they  would  be  wanting  the  land  at  Norridgewock. 
What,  then,  would  become  of  his  flock  ? 

The  English  were  heretics,  enemies  of  the  Church.  Had  not  Louis 
XIV.  driven  hundreds  of  thousands  of  them  out  of  France !  It  was  the 
duty  of  the  Indians  to  resist  the  English.  What  right  had  the  English 
to  the  land  of  the  Indians?  By  subtle  arts  he  influenced  them  against 
the  settlers. 

The  Indians  began  a  war  on  their  own  account  by  killing  three  men 
at  Casco,  and  destroying  the  settlement,  in  August,  1720.  "Rale  is  at  the 
bottom  of  it,"  said  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts. 

One  hundred  and  fifty  men  marched  to  Norridgewock  to  seize  the 
Jesuit,  but  he  had  gone  to  Quebec.  The  chief  of  the  Norridgewocks,  sin 
cerely  wishing  to  remain  at  peace  with  the  English,  gave  up  several  war 
riors  as  hostages.  Vaudreuil  was  Governor  of  Canada. 

"  Tell  the  Indians  to  drive  out  the  English ;  I  will  give  them  all  the 
assistance  they  want,"  said  Yaudreuil  to  Rale. 

"  Norridgewock  is  within  the  territory  of  King  George,  and  it  is  con 
trary  to  an  Act  of  Parliament  and  a  law  of  this  province  for  any  Jesuit 
or  Roman  priest  to  reside  in  any  part  of  the  British  dominions,"  wrote 
Shute  to  Yaudreuil,  and  sent  Colonel  Westbrook  to  seize  Rale ;  but  the 
priest  fled  to  the  woods  and  escaped. 

The  Indians,  to  retaliate,  fell  upon  the  settlements  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Kennebec,  and  captured  their  fishing-sloop.  They  attacked  Fort  George, 
on  Arrowsick  Island,  burnt  twenty-six  houses,  and  destroyed  Brunswick. 

Father  Rale  in  his  chapel,  in  constant  communication  with  Yaudreuil 
at  Quebec,  urged  the  Indians  on  ;  and  all  along  the  frontier,  from  the  Con 
necticut  to  Nova  Scotia,  Indian  bands  prowled  everywhere,  falling  upon 
the  defenceless  settlers.  It  was  the  same  sad  story  everywhere — of  sur 
prises  and  ambushes — the  shooting  of  defenceless  men  and  women — tak 
ing  their  scalps — going  as  suddenly  as  they  came ;  Father  Rale  and  Yan- 
dreuil  ever  urging  them  on.  It  was  little  use  to  chase  the  Indians,  who 
in  a  few  hours  would  be  far  away,  to  fall  upon  another  settlement.  A 
blow  must  be  struck  at  the  head-quarters :  there  could  be  no  peace  as  long 
as  Sebastian  Rale  could  wield  his  power.  Captains  Moulton,  Hanson, 
and  two  hundred  men  moved  swiftly  up  the  Kennebec. 

It  is  August  12th,  1722.     The  men  move  in  silence  through  the  for- 

11* 


330  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

est.  They  are  near  the  Indian  village ;  the  party  divide.  They  will  not 
wait  till  nightfall,  but  push  swiftly  on. 

"  Take  Kale  prisoner.  Let  the  Indians  fire  first,"  are  the  orders  of 
Moulton. 

He  surmises  that  the  surprise  will  so  agitate  the  Indians  that  they  will 
take  poor  aim. 

The  soldiers  run  toward  the  village.  A  wild  cry  rises  from  the  wig 
wams.  Sixty  warriors  rush  out — fire ;  but  their  hands  tremble,  and  not 
an  Englishman  is  injured.  A  volley  from  the  white  men,  and  the  Indians 
go  down  like  grain  before  the  reapers.  Sebastian  Rale  fastened  his  house, 
and  fired  upon  the  invaders.  Lieutenant  Hanson  burst  open  the  door; 
Rale  was  loading  his  gun,  and  would  ask  no  quarter.  Hanson's  blood 
was  up.  A  flash  from  his  gun,  and  the  white-haired  priest  born  amidst 


VIEW    FROM    FORT    GEORGE. 


the  vineyards  of  France — who  had  been  a  zealous  missionary  in  the  wil 
derness  along  the  great  lakes  of  the  West,  in  Canada  arid  the  wilds  of 
Maine,  through  whose  pernicious  influence  hundreds  of  settlers  had  been 
slain — met  his  fate.  The  women  and  children  escaped  to  the  river,  and 
many  of  the  warriors ;  but  the  chiefs  of  the  tribe,  Mogg  and  Bomazeen, 
fell  to  rise  no  more.  The  chapel  of  the  Jesuits  was  set  on  fire,  and  the 
expedition  returned,  having  suffered  no  loss.  It  was  a  blow  from  which 
the  Norridgewocks  never  recovered. 

At  the  southern  base  of  the  White  Mountains,  where  the  River  Saco 
winds  through  green  meadows,  was  the  home  of  the  Pigwaket  Indians. 
Their  chief  was  Paugus.  During  the  years  of  peace  he  visited  the  frontier 
towns  of  Massachusetts,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  the  settlers ;  but 
his  allegiance  was  to  the  French  in  Canada,  at  Montreal,  where  he  could 
always  obtain  gunpowder  and  bullets.  When  the  Jesuits  stirred  up  the 
Indians  of  the  Penobscot  and  Kennebec  to  make  war  upon  the  English, 
Paugus  was  ready  to  aid.  It  was  a  short  march  to  the  "  Smile  of  the 


MAINE  AND  NEW  HAMPSHIRE.  331 

Great  Spirit,"  as  the  Indians  called  Lake  "Winnipiseogee ;  launching  his 
canoe  upon  its  peaceful  waters,  he  could  easily  make  his  way  to  the  Mer- 
rimac,  and,  descending  that  stream,  fall  upon  the  settlers  of  Dunstable, 
Bradford,  and  Haverhill. 

There  was  a  man  in  Dunstable  who  was  as  brave  as  any  Indian,  Cap 
tain  John  Lovewell.  He  could  find  his  way  through  the  forest  as  read 
ily  as  the  savages.  He  knew  their  haunts,  their  modes  of  fighting,  their 
cunning. 

In  1724  the  Indians  fell  upon  Dunstable,  and  killed  two  men.  When 
the  alarm  was  given,  and  eleven  men  started  in  pursuit,  the  Indians  shot 
nine  of  them,  took  their  scalps,  and  returned  to  the  wigwams  on  the  Saco, 
and  held  a  great  feast  and  dance  over  the  success  of  their  exploits. 

"I  will  pay  one  hundred  pounds  for  every  Indian  scalp,"  said  the 
Governor  of  Massachusetts ;  and  Captain  Lovewell  started  with  his  sol 
diers  to  chastise  the  Pigwakets. 

It  was  in  December.  The  leaves  had  fallen,  and  there  was  snow  on  the 
ground,  when  Captain  Lovewell  with  forty  men  marched  up  the  Hem- 
mac  valley,  and  along  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Winnipiseogee.  They 
discovered  tracks  and  followed  them  through  the  day,  discovering,  just  at 
sunset,  ten  Indians  sitting  around  a  fire.  At  midnight  there  was  a  click 
of  gun-locks,  then  a  volley.  The  entire  ten  were  killed.  There  was  great 
rejoicing  in  all  the  towns — Dover,  Newbury,  Salem,  and  Boston — as  Cap 
tain  Lovewell  and  his  men  made  their  triumphant  return,  with  the  ten 
scalps  dangling  from  a  pole.  There  were  ten  Indians  less.  One  thousand 
pounds  prize-money !  It  was  a  quick  way  to  get  rich. 

"We  will  attack  the  Pigwakets  in  their  homes,"  said  Captain  Love- 
well.  His  soldiers  were  eager  to  march.  It  was  in  April,  1725,  when 
they  started  up  the  Merrimac,  turning  eastward,  crossing  the  Winni 
piseogee,  leaving  seven  men  who  were  sick ;  the  others  went  bravely  on 
to  the  boundary  between  Maine  and  New  Hampshire. 

It  was  Saturday  morning.  They  were  not  far  from  the  Indian  vil 
lages.  "  We  will  leave  our  packs  here,"  said  Captain  Lovewell,  and  the 
men  threw  them  upon  the  ground. 

Before  starting,  the  chaplain,  Jonathan  Frye,  offered  prayer.  While 
he  was  praying  they  heard  a  gun,  and  saw  an  Indian  across  the  pond. 

"  We  are  discovered  ;  shall  we  go  on,  or  return  ?"  asked  Lovewell. 

"We  have  come  to  find  the  Indians.  We  have  prayed  God  that  we 
might  find  them.  We  had  rather  die  for  our  country  than  return  with 
out  seeing  them.  If  we  were  to  go  back,  the  people  would  call  us  cow- 
ards,"  said  the  men,  and  Lovewell  moved  on. 


332  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

Suddenly  they  came  upon  a  single  Indian,  who  was  killed  by  Ensign 
Wyman  ;  but  who,  before  falling,  fired  his  gun  at  Captain  Lovewell,  mor 
tally  wounding  him. 

"  We  will  go  back  to  our  packs,"  they  said ;  but  when  they  reached 
the  place,  found  that  the  Indians  had  seized  them.  They  were  between 
two  little  brooks,  that  meandered  through  the  pine 
forest  and  emptied  into  the  lake.  Suddenly  they 
found  themselves  confronted  by  nearly  one  hundred 
Indians,  armed  with  new  guns  which  they  had  ob 
tained  in  Canada.  They  had  gone  past  the  Indian 
village,  which  was  only  a  short  distance  away,  and  the 
Indians  had  cut  ofi  their  retreat. 


The  terrible  war-whoop  rung  through  the  forest.  At  the  first  fire 
seven  English  were  killed  and  several  wounded. 

"  Retreat  to  the  shore  of  the  pond !"  shouted  Lieutenant  Wyman. 
He  saw  that  the  Indians  were  intending  to  surround  them.  By  retreat 
ing  to  the  water's  edge,  they  would  have  no  Indians  at  their  back. 

One  cowardly  man  ran,  at  the  first  volley,  back,  to  make  his  escape  to 
the  men  who  had  been  left  behind  on  the  march.  The  others  retreated 
to  the  lake,  sheltered  themselves  behind  the  trees,  and  resolved  to  fight 
to  the  last.  All  day  long  the  fight  went  on,  the  Indians  howling  like 
wolves.  Their  medicine-man  held  a  pow-wow — invoking  the  spirits  to 
aid  them ;  but  Lieutenant  Wyman  put  an  end  to  it  by  sending  a  bullet 
through  his  heart. 

"  We  will  give  you  quarter,"  said  the  Indians. 

"We  ask  for  no  quarter  except  at  the  muzzles  of  our  guns!"  was  the 
defiant  reply,  and  the  battle  went  on  until  Pangus  fell,  shot  by  Lieuten 
ant  Wyman ;  then  the  Indians  lost  heart.  When  night  came  on,  they 
stole  away.  Pitiable  the  condition  of  the  English !  The  young  chaplain, 
who  had  fought  bravely — who,  when  wounded,  still  prayed  for  victory, 
was  dead;  Jacob  Farrar  was  dying;  Lieutenant  Bobbins  and  Kobert 
Usher  could  not  last  many  hours;  eleven  others  were  badly  wounded. 
The  Indians  had  seized  their  packs,  and  they  were  twenty  miles  from  the 
seven  men  they  had  left  at  Ossipee. 

"Load  my  gun,  so  that  when  the  Indians  come  to  scalp  me  I  can  kill 
one  more  !"  said  Lieutenant  Eobbins. 

In  the  darkness  of  the  night,  the  living,  faint  and  weary,  started. 
Four  were  so  badly  wounded  that  they  could  not  travel.  "Leave  us; 
you  cannot  help  us,  and  we  shall  hinder  you,"  they  said. 

It  was  a  brave  parting ;  but  if  any  were  to  reach  home  they  must  push 


MAINE   AND  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


335 


on.  In  war,  necessity  knows  no  compassion.  They  readied  Ossipee,  to 
find  the  seven  men  gone.  The  man  who  fled  at  the  first  fire  had  told  a 
pitiable  story — how  all  had  been  killed ;  and  the  soldiers,  fearing  that  the 
Indians  would  soon  be  upon  them,  fled  to  Dunstable. 

Weary  the  return.  For  three  days  they  had  only  two  ground-squir 
rels  to  eat ;  then  they  shot  a  partridge,  caught  some  fish,  and  so  sustained 
life  until  they  reached  home. 

The  Indians  were  weary  of  war.     Their  bravest  warrior  had  fallen  ; 


BUILDING    SHIPS. 


there  was  no  longer  a  Father  Rale  to  urge  them  on,  and  they  made 
peace  once  more.  So  ended  the  war,  which  had  been  kindled  wholly 
through  the  influence  of  the  Jesuits. 

Peace !  how  delightful  it  was !  No  longer  were  the  people  compelled 
to  work  with  their  rifles  by  their  sides,  ever  on  the  watch  for  the  lurking 
foe.  The  settlers  went  farther  into  the  country.  All  the  industries  re 
vived.  Towns  and  villages  sprung  up.  In  Boston,  on  the  Merrimac  and 
Piscataqua,  companies  were  building  ships ;  and  the  colonies  took  on  such 
vigorous  life  that  George  Berkeley,  who  had  come  from  England  to 
Rhode  Island  with  his  family,  fired  with  enthusiasm  to  do  something  for 
education  and  religion  in  the  Western  World,  and  who  gave  his  books  to 


336 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


FAMILY    OF    BISHOP    BERKELEY. 


establish  the  Redwood  Library  at  Newport — looking  forward,  wrote  this 
poetic  prophecy  of  America : 

"In  happy  climes,  the  seat  of  innocence, 

Where  nature  guides  and  virtue  rules ; 
Where  men  shall  not  impose  for  truth  and  sense 
The  pedantry  of  courts  and  schools — 

"There  shall  be  sung  another  golden  age — 

The  rise  of  empire  and  of  arts ; 
The  good  and  great  inspiring  epic  rage; 
The  wisest  heads  and  noblest  hearts. 

"Not  such  as  Europe  breeds  in  her  decay; 

Such  as  she  bred  when  fresh  and  young, 
When  heavenly  flame  did  animate  her  clay, 
By  future  poets  shall  be  sung. 

" Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way; 

The  four  first  acts  already  past, 
A  fifth  shall  close  the  drama  with  the  day; 
Time's  noblest  offspring  is  the  last." 


THE  CAROLINAS.  337 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE   CAROLINAS. 

r  J^HE  men  who  had  been  instrumental  in  bringing  Charles  II.  to  the 
J~  throne  of  England  —  Edward  Hyde,  whom  Charles  made  Earl  of 
Clarendon,  George  Monk,  whom  he  made  Duke  of  Albernarle,  and  six 
others — applied  to  him  for  a  grant  of  land  in  America ;  and  the  frivolous 
man,  who  cared  more  for  his  pet  poodle  than  all  America,  gave  them  the 
territory  between  Virginia  and  Florida,  and  extending  west  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  They  called  it  Carolina.  It  was  a  wilderness,  except  a  small  set 
tlement  near  the  Chowan  River,  made  in  1653  by  Roger  Green  and  oth 
ers,  who  had  moved  from  Virginia  to  enjoy  perfect  freedom. 

William  Drummond  was  appointed  governor ;  but  what  cared  the  peo 
ple  for  him,  or  for  Stevens,  who  succeeded  him  in  1667?  Nothing.  The 
men  who  built  their  rude  log-cabins,  with  chimneys  made  of  sticks  and 
mud,  who  roamed  the  forest  at  will,  living  on  wild  turkeys  and  deer, 
snapped  their  fingers  in  the  governor's  face.  They  had  suffered  much 
under  the  arbitrary  laws  of  Virginia;  and  in  1669  met  in  convention,  and 
declared  that  there  should  be  complete  freedom  of  conscience ;  that  there 
should  be  no  taxes  except  what  they  themselves  might  impose. 

Quite  likely  the  earls  and  lords  did  not  know  what  the  settlers  were 
doing:  be  that  as  it  may,  they  employed  the  great  metaphysician,  John 
Locke,  to  plan  a  government.  He  knew  very  little  of  the  influences  at 
work  in  the  New  World — how  men  were  being  educated  to  think  and 
act  for  themselves — but  based  his  plan  on  Old  World  ideas ;  on  a  plan 
which  Plato  thought  out  among  the  olive-groves  of  Athens,  when  Greece 
was  in  her  glory.  He  thought  that  there  ought  to  be  three  orders  of  no 
bility — Landgrave,  men  who  would  own  great  tracts  of  land,  like  the  earls 
of  England  and  Germany;  Cassiques,  who  were  to  be  of  a  lower  order; 
and  Barons,  who  were  to  have  a  rank  similar  to  the  barons  of  England. 
The  titles  were  to  descend  from  the  fathers  to  the  eldest  sons.  They 
were  to  be  exclusive  owners  of  the  land.  They  were  to  make  and  exe 
cute  the  laws.  The  people  were  to  have  no  voice  in  affairs;  they  were 
to  be  only  serfs. 
22 


338 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


John  Locke,  with  all  his  learning,  never  mistrusted  that  the  time  had 
gone  by  for  the  establishment  of  such  a  government,  for  English-speak- 


CAROLINA    HOME. 


ing  people  were  in  the  Western  World.  The  Frenchmen  in  Canada 
might  consent  to  live  under  such  a  government,  but  Englishmen — never. 

Neither  the  great  metaphysician  nor  any  one  else  in  England  took  into 
account  the  distance  of  three  thousand  miles,  the  influence  of  the  wilder 
ness,  the  fact  that  there  was  little  to  interfere  with  the  freedom  of  men. 
They  did  not  reflect  that  men  who  could  have  venison,  turkey,  and  fish 
on  their  tables  the  year  round,  who,  by  scratching  the  ground  and  putting 
in  a  few  potatoes,  could  obtain  sufficient  food,  were  not  likely  to  submit 
to  such  laws,  or  accept  such  a  system  as  he  had  contrived. 

The  settlers  cut  gashes  in  the  tall  pines,  and  gathered  the  fragrant  tur 
pentine  that  oozed  from  the  pores.  The  lords  claimed  the  soil,  and  all 
there  was  on  it;  but  when  the  tax-gatherer  came  to  collect  dues  for  the 
land  and  turpentine,  they  laughed  in  his  face.  Pay  rents !  Not  they. 

One  of  the  governors  which  the  lords  sent  over  was  not  only  gov 
ernor,  but  secretary  and  collector,  and  attempted  to  carry  things  with  a 
high  hand,  whereupon  Jack  Culpepper  and  a  few  others  handled  him  so 


THE   CAROLINAS. 


339 


roughly  that  he  was  glad  to  get  out  of  the  colony.     They  ruled  them 
selves  lor  two  years.     In  truth,  they  were  a  lawless  set.     They  would  not 
obey  John  Locke's  laws,  neither  their  own.     Seth  Sothel  came  from  Eng 
land  to  govern  them ;  but  he  was  a  dissolute  fellow,  and  they  drove  him 
out  of  the  colony. 

The  settlements,  up  to  1670,  were  in  the  northern  section  of  the  terri 
tory  ;  but  in  that  year  the  earls  and  lords  to  whom  Charles  had  given  the 
land  sent  out  a  colony  to  develop  the  southern  portion.  The  ships  sailed 
into  the  harbor  of  Port  Royal,  and  a  beginning  was  made  where  Ribault 


ON    THE    ASHLEY. 


had  established  himself  a  century  and  a  quarter  before.     It  was  called 
the  Oarteret  Settlement,  for  Lord  Carteret,  one  of  the  proprietors. 

After  the  settlers  had  erected  their  houses,  they  remembered  how  the 


340 


OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


Spaniards,  in  1562,  had  massacred  the  Huguenots  on  that  spot ;  and,  fear 
ing  that  they  might  come  again,  abandoned  the  place  for  one  more  secure, 


YEAMANS  HALL,  GOOSE  CREKK. 

which  they  formed  farther  north,  at  the  junction  of  two  rivers,  one  o 
which  they  named  Ashley,  and  the  other  Cooper,  for  Lord  Ashley  Coopei 
one  of  the  proprietors.  They  named  the  new  settlement  Charleston. 

The  eight  men  who  had  received  the  land  from  Charles  never  though 
of  purchasing  it  from  the  Indians— they  appropriated  it. 

Buy  land  of  the  savages !  Oh  no.  They  were  peers  of  the  Englis 
realm,  and  the  king  had  given  them  the  land :  why  should  they  pay  th 
Indians  for  it  ? 

The  colonists  were  charmed  with  the  country,  the  winding  rivers,  th 
stately  pines,  the  wide -spreading  live-oaks,  the  jessamine  and  hone} 
suckle,  magnolias,  and  azaleas  filling  the  air  with  perfume.  They  cu 
down  the  trees,  and  opened  plantations.  Many  of  them  were  little  bette 
than  slaves ;  for,  having  gotten  into  debt  in  England,  they  were  put  ii 
jail,  and  were  released  only  by  selling  their  services  to  the  proprietors 
who  charged  high  rates  of  interest  for  the  money  advanced. 

In  1671  the  lords  sent  out  Sir  John  Yeamans.  to  be  Governor  o 
South  Carolina.  One  of  the  gentlemen  accompanying  him  was  fron 
Drayton  Hall,  in  Northamptonshire,  who  opened  a  beautiful  plantation  o: 
the  bank  of  the  Ashley,  above  Charleston,  and  where  his  grandson  reare< 
a  noble  mansion,  which  is  still  standing. 


THE   CAROLINAS. 


34:1 


The  same  year  some  negroes  were  brought  to  Charleston  and  sold — 
the  beginning  of  negro  slavery  in  South  Carolina.  It  was  a  community 
of  Cavaliers,  Puritans,  and  Dutchmen.  Few  had  money ;  many  of  them 
were  struggling  to  get  out  of  debt,  and  who  found  it  all  the  harder  after 
the  introduction  of  slaves. 

Huguenots  came  from  France,  driven  from  their  old  homes,  from 
their  mulberry  orchards  and  vineyards,  after  the  revocation  of  the  Edict 
of  Nantes  by  Louis  XIY.  They  selected  South  Carolina  as  their  future 
home.  The  mulberry  and  grape  would  thrive  in  its  genial  clime.  They 
could  feed  the  leaves  of  the  mulberry  to  the  silk-worrn,  reel  the  glossy 
fibre  from  the  cocoons,  spin  and  weave,  and  enjoy  their  religious  belief 
unmolested  by  king  or  Pope,  in  their  new  far-off  homes.  Strange  to  say, 
the  colonists  wished  they  would  stay  away.  Why  should  Frenchmen  be 


DRAYTON    HALL,  WESTERN    FRONT. 

allowed  there?  It  was  a  revival  of  the  old  hatred  between  English 
men  and  Frenchmen ;  but  the  Huguenots  attended  to  their  own  affairs. 
They  were  peaceable  and  orderly.  It  was  an  infusion  of  some  of  the 
best  blood  of  France.  They  soon  forgot  that  they  were  Frenchmen. 
They  became  American  citizens.  The  names  of  some  of  their  descend 
ants — Grimke,  Huger,  Legare,  Laurens,  Marion — are  inseparably  connected 
with  the  history  of  our  country. 


342 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


The  first  settlers  cared  very  little  about  building  churches.     The  first 
—St.  Michael's— was  not  erected  until  1682.     There  were  a  few  Episcop* 


PICKING    FIGS. 


lians,  and  some  Dissenters ;  but  most  of  the  people  did  not  care  whether 
they  had  a  church  or  not,  or  else  were  too  poor  to  put  forth  any  effort  to 
build  one. 

The  Earl  of  Albemarle  sent  over  this  order : 

"The  Church  of  England  must  be  made  the  established  church  of 
Carolina." 

Sir  Nathaniel  Moore,  who  had  been  appointed  governor,  issued  an 
order  compelling  each  colonist  to  pay  thirty  pounds  annually  for  the  sup 
port  of  a  minister.  The  country  was  divided  into  parishes,  and  all  who 
would  not  pay  were  disfranchised,  deprived  of  holding  any  office  of 
honor,  trust,  or  profit.  Quakers  could  not  serve  on  a  jury.  The  church 
wardens,  with  two  constables,  every  Sunday  forenoon  and  afternoon  visit- 


THE    CAROLINAS. 


343 


ed  all  the  grog-shops,  arresting  all  idlers,  and  marching  them  to  jail  for 
not  being  in  their  places  at  church. 

The  laws  were  harsh  toward  those  who  had  sold  their  services  to  the 
lords.  Dennis  Mahand  attempted  to  escape  to  the  Spaniards  in  Florida ; 
but  was  caught,  and  had  thirty-nine  lashes  put  upon  his  bare  back  with 
the  cat-o'-nine-tails.  Many  other  settlers  were  whipped  for  attempting 
to  escape. 

Spain  and  England  were  at  peace ;  but  the  Spaniards  at  St.  Augus 
tine  suddenly  fell  upon  the  English  settlement  at  Edisto  in  1686,  pil- 


ORANGE    FRUIT    AND    FLOWERS. 


laged  Mr.  Marston's  house,  murdered  the  governor's  brother,  and  carried 
off  thirteen  slaves.     They  destroyed  another  settlement  at  Port  Eoyal. 

The  people  of  Charleston  determined  to  have  their  revenge.     Four 
hundred  men  were  ready  to  march  to  St.  Augustine ;  but  just  then  Gov- 


344 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


ST.  MICHAEL  S   CHURCH. 


ernor  Colleton  arrived  from  England,  and  threatened  to  hang  them  if 
they  attempted  it. 

In  1695  a  vessel  arrived  at  Charleston  from  Madagascar.  Governor 
Smith  went  on  board,  and  received  a  present  from  the  captain  of  some 
rice,  which  he  sowed  in  his  garden.  It  was  so  luxuriant  that  he  began  its 
cultivation.  His  neighbors  also  cultivated  it,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
colony  not  only  supplied  itself  with  rice,  but  sent  ship-loads  to  England 
and  to  the  colonies. 

It  was  the  beginning  of  a  great  industry.  Governor  Thomas  Smith 
was  born  at  Exeter,  in  England.  He  emigrated  to  South  Carolina  in 
1671.  He  had  a  brother  who  emigrated  to  Boston,  whose  granddaughter, 
Abigail,  married  John  Adams,  the  second  President  of  the  United  States. 


THE   CAROLINAS. 


345 


He  built  a  country  house  on  Back  Elver,  and  made  port-holes  in  the 
walls,  so  that  it  could  be  defended  against  the  Indians,  and  dug  a  passage 
underground  to  the  river,  where  he  kept  a  boat  concealed,  so  that,  if  not 
able  to  defend  the  house,  he  could  escape  by  the  secret  passage. 

When  he  was  appointed  governor,  or  landgrave,  the  proprietors  gave 
him  forty-eight  thousand  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  Puritan,  clear-headed 
and  honest ;  but  there  were  so  many  quarrels  going  on  between  the  col 
onists,  between  those  who  had  sold  their  services  and  those  who  had 
bought  them,  that  he  became  tired  of  being  governor,  and  sent  word  to 
the  proprietors  that  they  must  send  over  somebody  else  to  take  his  place; 
as  for  being  governor,  he  would  not.  While  he  was  in  office,  the  colony 
was  divided  into  North  and  South  Carolina. 

It  was  Eev.  Mr.  White,  of  Dorchester,  England,  who  started  the  Pu 
ritan  emigration  to  New  England ;  and  the  second  party  of  emigrants 
from  that  town  in  1630,  settling  in  Massachusetts,  named  their  new  home 
Dorchester. 

In  1696,  a  party  of  their  descendants,  hearing  of  the  attractions  of 
Carolina — the  richness  of  the  soil,  the  genial  climate,  where  during  sum- 


LANDGKAVE    SMITH  S    BACK    RIVER   RESIDENCE. 


mer  and  winter  the  flowers  were  ever  in  bloom — bade  good-bye  to  their 
friends  in  Massachusetts,  to  start  life  anew  amidst  the  live-oaks  and  mag 
nolias  of  the  South.  They  selected  a  site  on  the  bank  of  the  Ashley,  and 


346 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


named  it  Dorchester.  They  were  Puritans,  and  one  of  the  first  buildings 
erected  was  a  church.  They  were  hard-working,  and  Dorchester  soon 
became  a  thrifty  town.  They  established  a  market,  and  had  fairs  twice 
a  year,  which  attracted  people  from  all  parts  of  the  colony.  They  estab 
lished  a  free  school.  "  We  have  corne,"  they  said,  "  to  encourage  the  pro 
motion  of  religion." 

From  the  banks  of  the  Ashley,  another  colony  went  out  in  1752  to 
Georgia,  and   started  still   another  Dorchester.      It   was  vigorous   seed 


OLD    MKKTING-HOUSK,   DORCHESTER. 

which  Eev.  John  White  sent  out  from  that  little   fishing-town   on  the 
southern  coast  of  England. 

Dorchester  on  the  Ashley  has  disappeared.  Stately  trees  grow  where 
the  thrifty  settlers  once  held  their  annual  fair;  and  "the  azaleas,  honey 
suckles,  and  jessamine  bloom  where  once  they  drove  their  teams.  Ev 
erything  has  disappeared,  except  the  old  white  church  in  which  they  wor 
shipped. 

In  1702,  when  war  was  declared  between  England  and  Spain,  Gov 
ernor  Moore  sailed,  with  several  hundred  men,  to  capture  St.  Augustine; 


THE  CAROLINAS.  347 

but  he  had  no  cannon,  the  Spanish  fort  was  strong,  and  he  accomplished 
nothing.  The  expedition  cost  six  thousand  pounds,  and  was  the  begin 
ning  of  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  There  were  only  five  thousand  people 
in  the  colony,  and  their  taxes  were  so  great  that  they  could  not  pay  them. 
They  accused  Governor  Moore  of  feathering  his  own  nest — of  purchasing 
supplies  of  himself,  and  in  other  ways.  Two  parties  arose — the  governor 
and  his  friends,  who  were  Episcopalians,  and  the  people,  who  were  Dis 
senters. 

The  lords  sent  over  Sir  Nathaniel  Johnson  to  succeed  Moore.  He 
was  self-willed  and  obstinate.  The  colonists  had  had  no  schools,  and  very 
few  could  read.  Those  who  lived  in  the  backwoods  had  no  churches — 
many  had  never  heard  a  sermon.  They  knew  very  little  about  the  Bible 
or  anything  else.  They  used  very  profane  oaths,  and  Governor  Johnson 
undertook  to  make  them  good  church -going  people  by  passing  laws 
against  swearing. 

"  Whoever  blasphemes  the  Trinity,  or  questions  the  Divine  authority 
of  the  Bible,  will  be  sent  to  prison  for  three  years."  "  Every  citizen 
chosen  member  of  the  Assembly  must  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper  in 
accordance  with  the  rule  of  the  Church,"  was  the  law  passed  by  the  As 
sembly,  which  disfranchised  all  the  Dissenters! 

Though  disfranchised,  the  people  were  patriots,  and  showed  what 
good  Englishmen  they  were  when  a  frigate  and  four  other  French  ves 
sels  appeared  off  Charleston  to  attack  the  place.  The  drums  beat,  and 
they  came  with  their  guns  to  resist  the  invasion.  Governor  Johnson  built 
a  fort  on  an  island  in  the  harbor,  which  still  bears  his  name.  He  had  but 
a  few  soldiers,  but  he  would  make  the  most  of  them. 

Captain  Le  Feboner,  who  commanded  the  French,  sent  a  lieutenant  on 
shore  with  a  white  flag,  demanding  the  surrender  of  the  place.  The  lieu 
tenant  was  blindfolded,  and  marched  from  place  to  place ;  but  wherever 
the  handkerchief  was  taken  from  his  eyes,  he  beheld  troops  around  him, 
and  went  back  reporting  that  the  English  had  a  large  army  ;  whereas  Gov 
ernor  Johnson  had  kept  a  company  on  the  march  ahead  of  the  French 
man,  and  he  had  seen  the  same  troops  all  the  time. 

Captain  Le  Feboner  was  amazed.  He  sailed  away,  not  daring  to 
make  an  attack.  Soon  after  he  was  gone,  a  French  vessel,  with  ninety 
men  and  supplies,  sailed  into  the  harbor,  and  was  captured. 

The  Tuscaroras  were  the  most  powerful  Indian  tribe  in  North  Caro 
lina.  Settlers  had  taken  their  lands,  stolen  their  corn  and  sweet  pota 
toes,  and  were  driving  the  game  from  the  country.  The  Indians  resolved 
to  be  revenged.  They  dipped  a  stick  in  blood,  and  sent  it  to  the  Yea- 


348  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

manes,  in  South  Carolina,  who  joined  the  conspiracy,  and  sharpened  their 
seal  ping-knives  for  the  terrible  work. 

In  the  spring  of  1715  the  blow  fell.  Hundreds  of  settlers  were  killed  ; 
but  Governor  Craven  defeated  the  Yeamanes  near  Port  Royal  with  a  ter 
rible  slaughter,  and  the  Tuscaroras  lost  three  hundred  in  a  battle  with  the 
North  Carolina  settlers.  They  were  so  nearly  annihilated  that  they  fled 
North,  and  joined  the  Iroquois. 

The  lords  who  owned  the  land  would  not  assist  the  colonists,  who  were 
ground  down  with  taxes.  There  was  so  much  trouble  that  Queen  Anne 
bought  back  their  territory,  paying  the  proprietors  twenty-two  thousand 
five  hundred  pounds,  and  the  attempt  to  establish  a  government  on  the 
plan  thought  out  by  John  Locke  came  to  an  end  in  1729. 

The  governors  of  North  Carolina  found  so  much  difficulty  in  ruling 
the  indolent  people,  that  one  of  them,  Governor  Burrington,  in  1731, 
wrote  this  to  the  Duke  of  Newcastle : 

"  The  people  of  North  Carolina  are  neither  to  be  cajoled  nor  outwitted. 
Whenever  a  governor  attempts  to  effect  anything  by  this  means,  he  will 
lose  his  labor,  and  show  his  ignorance.  The  inhabitants  are  not  industri 
ous,  but  subtle  and  crafty ;  always  behaving  insolently  to  their  governor. 
Some  they  have  imprisoned;  driven  others  out  of  the  country;  and  at 
times  have  set  up  a  governor  of  their  own  choice,  supported  by  men  un 
der  arms." 

Burrington  was  so  distasteful  to  them,  that  they  soon  compelled  him 
to  leave.  He  was  a  wicked  man,  and  in  1734  was  murdered  in  a  carouse 
in  London. 

The  people  loved  liberty;  but  cared  very  little  for  those  other  quali 
ties  of  character  necessary  for  the  building  up  of  a  thrifty  State. 

Governor  Johnson,  a  Scotchman,  appointed  in  1734,  was  a  good  man. 
In  his  address  to  the  Assembly  he  deplored  the  condition  of  affairs. 

"  The  morals  of  the  people  are  loose.  There  is  no  provision  for  edu 
cation.  Law  is  disregarded  by  the  rich,  and  they  oppress  the  poor,  who 
have  no  redress." 

He  was  wise  and  prudent,  and  had  so  much  influence  in  Scotland  that 
many  people  emigrated  from  that  country,  sailing  up  Cape  Fear  River, 
and  settling  on  the  high  banks  in  the  interior.  They  loved  law  and  order, 
and  were  deeply  religious.  With  their  coming,  North  Carolina  took  on 
a  new  life. 

Through  the  years  in  which  New  York  and  New  England  were  strug 
gling  against  the  Indians — from  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century 
to  the  time  of  the  Revolution — there  was  very  little  occurring  to  disturb 


THE   CAROLINAS.  349 

the  Carolinas.  The  settlers  of  North  Carolina  made  tar  and  turpentine, 
and  the  planters  of  South  Carolina  cultivated  their  rice-fields.  Many 
ship-loads  of  slaves  were  brought  from  the  West  Indies  and  Africa.  The 
planters  grew  rich  on  their  labor,  reared  stately  mansions  in  Charleston, 
and  elegant  residences  in  the  country;  living  in  princely  style,  riding 
in  coaches,  and  attended  by  retinues  of  servants.  They  adorned  their 
grounds  with  flowers,  and  entertained  their  friends  with  hospitality ;  but 
the  poor  people  found  themselves  growing  poorer.  How  could  they  get 
on  where  there  were  so  many  slaves?  The  planters  regarded  labor  as 
degrading,  and  treated  the  poor  whites  with  contempt.  So  it  came  about 
that  there  were  wider  distinctions  in  society  in  South  Carolina  than  in 
any  other  colony. 


350  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

GEORGIA. 

THE  jails  of  England  were  filled  with  men  who  couid  not  pay  theii 
debts.     Some  were  spendthrifts ;  others  had  worked  hard ;  but  the 
wolf  was  ever  at  the  door,  and  they  could  not  get  on   in  the  world. 
Hard-hearted  creditors  had  thrust  them   behind  the  prison-bars.     What 
hope  for  such  a  prisoner  ? 

"No  grateful  fire  before  him  glows, 

And  yet  the  winter's  breath  is  chill; 
And  o'er  his  half-clad  person  goes 
The  frequent  ague  thrill! 

"  Silent,  save  ever  and  anon, 
A  sound,  half  murmur  and  half  groan, 
Forces  apart  the  painful  grip 
Of  the  old  sufferer's  bearded  lip ; 
O  sad  and  crushing  is  the  fate 
Of  old  age  chained  and  desolate!" 

What  could  society  do  ?     It  might  have  changed  the  laws,  but  did  not. 

The  large-hearted  General  James  Oglethorpe,  member  of  Parliament, 
forty  years  old,  and  wrho  had  fought  the  Turks  in  Hungary,  who  was  in 
the  great  battles  around  Belgrade  with  Prince  Eugene,  conceived  a  plan 
f ;>r  the  relief  of  poor,  deserving  men  —  that  of  founding  a  colony  in 
America,  where,  with  a  little  help,  they  might  start  life  anew.  He  en 
listed  some  of  the  noblemen  of  England  in  his  enterprise.  George  II. 
favored  it,  and  granted  them  the  country  between  the  Altamaha  and 
Savannah  Rivers,  for  a  colony  to  be  named  Georgia.  Noblemen,  mem 
bers  of  Parliament,  and  kind-hearted  people  contributed  to  the  enterprise ; 
and  in  Januarj^,  1733,  the  ship  Anne,  with  thirty-five  families,  one  hun- 
dred  and  thirty  persons,  entered  the  Savannah  River.  Oglethorpe  laid 
out  a  town,  with  streets  running  at  right  angles,  with  many  pleasant 
parks,  and  named  it  Savannah.  He  held  a  feast  the  next  Sunday  after 
his  arrival.  Many  of  the  South  Carolina  people  were  there;  and  alto- 


GEORGIA.  351 

getter  they  devoured  four  fat  hogs,  eight  turkeys,  besides  chickens  and 
beef,  drank  one  hogshead  of  punch,  one  of  beer,  and  a  vast  deal  of  wine. 

General  Oglethorpe  purchased  the  land  of  Tomo  Chichi,  one  of  the 
Indian  chiefs.      He  hired  the  slaves  of  some  of  the  planters  of  South 
Carolina  to  clear  the  ground  and  prepare  it  for  planting.     The  emigrants 
worked  with  a  will ;  and  in  a  very  short 
time  the  settlers  were  living  in  nice  houses. 
The  woods  were  full  of  game,  and  there 
were  fish  in  the  rivers;  they  were  so  near 
Carolina  that  they  could  obtain  abundance 
of  food,  and  none  of  the  hardships  were 
encountered  which  other  colonies  had  en 
dured. 

Captain  M'Pherson,  with  a  company  of 
Scotchmen,  built  a  fort  on  the  Ogeechee 

River,  and  named  it  for  the  Duke  of  Ar- 

"z^~~  ,r 
gyle.     Other  colonists  came;  and  in  two  OGLETHORPE. 

years  there  were  more  than  five  hundred 

settlers.  Many  of  the  emigrants  were  from  Scotland.  One  party  settled 
at  Darien,  on  the  Altamaha.  They  brought  their  bagpipes,  and,  when 
through  with  work  for  the  day,  passed  the  evening  hours  in  playing  the 
quaint  melodies  of  the  dear  old  land.  They  were  industrious  and  devout. 

The  Salzburgers  came ;  and  who  were  they  ?  They  were  descendants 
of  the  Waldenses,  who  lived  in  the  beautiful  valley  of  Yaudois,  in  Pied 
mont,  who,  away  back  in  the  twelfth  century,  wanted  to  read  the  Bible, 
which  the  Pope  would  not  permit.  Terrible  the  persecutions  they  en 
dured.*  Armies  were  sent  against  them,  again  and  again ;  thousands 
were  killed  in  battle  or  burnt  at  the  stake;  but  nothing  could  quench  the 
spirit  of  religious  freedom  in  the  Waldenses.  Some  who  escaped  the  hor 
rible  massacres  perpetrated  by  the  armies  sent  by  the  Pope  fled  north 
ward  through  Switzerland,  crossed  Lake  Constance,  and  found  refuge  in 
Salzburg.  For  more  than  fifty  years  they  lived  in  peace — so  few  in  num 
bers  that  the  priests  took  no  notice  of  them ;  but  they  increased  and  held 
meetings  of  their  own.  That  the  priests  could  not  permit.  They  were 
thrown  into  prison,  and  suffered  the  horrors  of  the  terrible  torture- 
chamber. 

The  jailer  made  them  lay  a  finger  or  a  thumb  upon  a  post ;  he  gently 
touched  a  spring — whack !  down  came  a  hammer  like  a  gun-lock,  driv- 

*  See  "  Story  of  Liberty,"  p.  304. 


352  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

ing  a  sharp  needle  through  the  finger,  and  nailing  it  to  the  post !  He  put 
iron  bracelets  on  their  arms  that  came  together  with  a  spring,  and  driving 
pins  like  the  prickles  of  a  chestnut-burr  into  the  flesh.  He  had  an  iron 
cap  which  he  put  upon  their  heads,  with  a  lining  of  sharp  knives  that 
gashed  the  scalp.  He  stripped  off  their  clothing,  laid  them  upon  a  bench 
of  corrugated  oak,  and  kneaded  them,  as  a  baker  does  his  bread,  with  a 
knobbed  rolling-pin.  He  put  them  in  a  wide,  deep  cradle,  the  bottom 
and  sides  all  knobs,  rocked  them  to  and  fro  until  the  flesh  became  like 
quivering  jelly !  He  sawed  their  thighs  to  the  bone  with  a  string  of  iron 
beads ;  he  thrust  an  iron  ball  into  their  mouths,  pulled  a  string,  and  the 
ball  blossomed  into  an  iron  lily  —  forcing  open  their  jaws  until  they 
cracked  in  the  sockets !  A  pair  of  pinchers  clasped  the  tongue :  one 
twitch,  and  it  was  torn  out  by  the  roots !  They  were  led  through  dark 
and  gloomy  passages  to  a  dungeon,  to  be  embraced  by  a  maiden — and 
who  was  she  ?  There  she  stood — an  iron  statue,  hooded,  and  wearing  an 
iron  ruffle,  enveloped  in  an  iron  cloak.  The  jailer  touched  a  spring,  and 
the  maiden  clasped  her  victim  in  her  iron  arms.  It  was  not  a  quick  em 
brace  ;  but  one  slow  and  long  enduring,  with  needles  of  steel  piercing  the 
flesh,  two  iron  spikes  piercing  the  eye-balls.  The  jailer  gave  a  turn  of  a 
screw,  and  the  spikes  went  a  little  deeper;  another  turn,  and  deeper  still. 
What  ages  of  pain,  fever,  thirst,  agony  !  Another  turn  of  the  screw,  and 
closer  the  embrace.  When  death  had  ended  all,  a  trap-door  opens,  and 
the  maiden  drops  her  victim.  Down — down — down  it  falls,  two  hundred 
feet  into  a  dark  and  gloomy  cavern,  upon  the  dying  forms  of  those  that 
had  preceded  it.  No  record,  except  in  God's  book  of  remembrance ! 

In  1728  the  Archbishop  of  Salzburg  set  himself  to  eradicate  the  Prot 
estants  from  his  bishopric.  In  three  years  he  drove  thirty  thousand  into 
exile — to  Prussia,  Holland,  and  England,  or  where  they  could  find  refuge. 
They  heard  of  America  as  a  land  for  the  oppressed,  and  fifty  families 
started  in  1733,  dragging  their  goods  in  rude  carts,  carrying  heavy  packs, 
making  their  way  to  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  and  floating  down  the  river 
in  boats,  sailing  for  Georgia. 

They  reached  the  promised  land,  worn,  weary,  and  poor  in  everything 
except  faith  in  the  principles  for  which  they  had  suffered.  They  loved 
the  Bible  and  Prayer-book  better  than  anything  else.  "Hitherto  hath 
the  Lord  helped  us,"  they  said,  and  called  the  little  settlement  on  the 
bank  of  the  Savannah,  Ebenezer. 

The  settlers  were  not  all  so  sturdy  in  their  religious  principles  as  the 
Salzburgers;  some  of  the  English  and  Scotchmen  quarrelled,  or  drank 
more  rum  than  was  good  for  them,  and  were  put  in  the  stocks.  They 


GEORGIA. 


353 


were  pleased  with  the  country,  and  wrote  home  such  glowing  accounts 
of  the  delightfulness  of  the  climate  that  many  others  came.  Among  the 
number  were  two  young  men,  brothers — John  and  Charles  Wesley — who 
had  been  educated  at  Oxford,  and  who  were  fired  with  religious  zeal. 
They  were  the  first  Methodists.  John  visited  the  Indian  chief,  Toinis 
Chichi,  and  asked  him  to  become  a  Christian. 

"  Me  be  Christian  ?  Christians  get  drunk !  Christians  beat  men ! 
Christians  tell  lies !  Me  no  Christian  !"  said  Tornis. 

John  and  Charles  Wesley  did  not  stay  long,  but  went  back  to  Eng 
land.  Another  preacher,  Rev.  George  Whitefield,  visited  Charleston  and 
Savannah  in  1738. 

"  Don't  have  anything  to  do  with  him,"  said  Rev.  Alexander  Gordon, 
the  Episcopal  minister  at  Charleston,  and  preached  a  sermon  from  the 
text,  "  Those  who  have  turn 
ed  the  world  upside  down 
have  come  hither  also." 

Instead  of  inducing  the 
people  to  stay  away  from  Mr. 
Whitefield's  preaching,  every 
body  wanted  to  hear  him,  and 
came  in  crowds.  Mr.  White- 
field  loved  a  joke,  and  preach 
ed  a  sermon  in  reply,  taking 
this  for  his  text :  "  Alexan-  I 
der  the  coppersmith  did  me 
much  evil." 

Rum  and  negroes! — The 
laws  passed  by  Parliament 
said  that  nobody  should  sell 
rum  or  hold  slaves  in  Geor 
gia  ;  but  men  would  have 
their  rum,  notwithstanding 
the  law.  General  Oglethorpe 
saw  that  South  Carolina  was 

getting  rich  through  the  employment  of  slave-labor.  General  Oglethorpe 
was  large-hearted ;  he  established  a  home  for  orphans  at  Savannah,  and 
begged  money  for  their  support  in  England.  He  discovered,  also,  a  way 
to  make  it  self-supporting.  He  was  opposed  to  slavery  on  principle.  The 
laws  would  not  let  him  hold  slaves  in  Georgia,  but  he  might  do  it  in 
South  Carolina.  Would  not  the  nobleness  of  charity  make  it  right  for 
23 


JOHN    WESLEY. 


w 


354  OLD  TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 

him  to  hold  slaves  ?  He  thought  it  would,  and  bought  a  plantation  and  a 
large  number  of  slaves.  If  the  governor  could  do  it  outside  of  Georgia, 
hy  could  not  others,  less  scrupulous,  hold  slaves  inside  the  boundary? 

How  could  Oglethorpe  prose 
cute  them  for  doing  openly 
what  he  was  doing,  as  it  were, 
surreptitiously  ?  So,  through 
the  Jesuitical  action  of  Ogle 
thorpe,  slavery  was  intro 
duced. 

Many  of  the  negroes 
brought  from  Africa  to 
Charleston  by  the  slave-ships 
panted  for  freedom  and  fled 
into  the  forests  of  Geor 
gia.  Some  reached  St.  Au 
gustine.  Spain  and  England 
were  at  war.  The  Jesuits  at 
St.  Augustine  prevailed  upon 
some  of  the  negroes  to  return 
to  South  Carolina  and  stir  up 
the  slaves  to  revolt,  and  mur 
der  their  masters.  The  slaves, 
not  reflecting  that  they  were 
weak  and  their  masters  strong,  began  an  insurrection  in  1740,  which  was 
quickly  put  down. 

"Arrest  any  of  the  Jesuits  or  Spaniards  you  may  find  in  Georgia," 
said  Governor  Oglethorpe  to  the  sheriff,  who  scoured  the  country  with 
a  posse  of  men. 

Oglethorpe  sent  a  letter  to  the  Governor  of  New  York  and  other  col 
onies,  informing  them  of  what  the  Spaniards  were  doing,  and  the  whole 
country  was  thrown  into  a  fever  of  exeitement.  Oglethorpe  made  a  set 
tlement  on  St.  Simond's  Island,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Altamaha,  with  forts 
to  protect  it. 

"An  English  settlement  at  St.  Simond's  —  right  under  our  noses!" 
The  Spaniards  at  St.  Augustine  resented  it.  The  Jesuits  sent  presents  to 
the  Indians  to  induce  them  to  be  their  allies  in  sweeping  the  English  into 
the  Atlantic ;  but  Oglethorpe,  getting  wind  of  the  movement,  made  his 
way  through  the  forests,  threading  thickets,  crossing  rivers,  and  enduring 
many  hardships,  to  meet  the  Indians  in  a  grand  council,  which  assembled 


CHARLES    WESLEY. 


GEOKGIA.  355 

at  Coweta,  three  hundred  miles  north-west  of  Savannah,  and  was  so  influ 
ential  that  they  agreed  to  be  true  friends  of  the  English. 

Thirty  vessels  were  off  St.  Simond's,  with  the  Spanish  flag  at  their 
mast-heads,  arid  cannon  peeping  out  of  the  port-holes !  Don  Manuel  de 
Montiaina  was  commander,  with  five  thousand  soldiers.  He  would  make 
ash-heaps  of  St.  Simond's  and  Savannah. 

Oglethorpe  could  muster  only  eight  hundred  men,  with  one  merchant- 
vessel  of  twenty  guns,  and  two  schooners.  He  made  a  brave  fight  with 
his  vessels ;  but  the  Spaniards  obliged  him  to  abandon  them.  Monti- 
ama  sailed  into  the  harbor  of  Frederica.  The  town  was  at  the  head  of 
the  bay.  To  get  up  to  it  the  Spaniards  must  make  a  sweep  around  the 
"  Devil's  Elbow,"  a  point  of  land  on  which  Oglethorpe  planted  some 
cannon,  which  could  give  such  a  raking  fire  that  Montiama,  instead  of 
attempting  to  pass  it,  landed  his  troops  below  to  move  upon  the  town. 
It  would  be  an  easy  march  along  a  sandy  road,  beneath  tall  pines  and 
green  palmettoes  on  one  side,  and  a  swamp  on  the  other.  Veteran  troops 
of  Spain,  in  light  uniforms,  banners  waving,  started  at  daybreak  along 
the  narrow  way,  putting  to  flight  the  few  men  which  Oglethorpe  had 
stationed  to  guard  the  road.  The  Spaniards  pursued,  but  could  not 
overtake  them.  The  day  was  warm.  They  stacked  their  guns,  threw 
themselves  upon  the  ground  to  wipe  the  sweat  from  their  brows,  before 
marching  across  the  plain  to  enter  the  town.  They  begin  to  prepare  for 
breakfast. 

Crack !  crack  !  A  volley !  There  was  a  flashing  amidst  the  palmet 
toes.  Some  of  the  Spaniards  lying  upon  the  ground  never  rose  again. 
Others,  rising,  went  down,  pierced  by  the  bullets  of  a  company  of  Scotch 
Highlanders.  A  panic  seized  the  Spaniards ;  down  the  defile  they  fled, 
leaving  their  guns,  knapsacks,  everything — pursued  by  the  Highlanders 
and  the  Indians,  who  were  allies  of  the  English.  The  Indians  buried 
their  tomahawks  in  the  skulls  of  those  they  captured.  The  Spaniards 
did  not  stop  until  they  reached  the  boats.  Don  Montiama  had  lost  sev 
eral  hundred  men ;  but  he  had  still  four  thousand.  He  supposed  that 
Oglethorpe  had  nearly  as  many,  and  was  greatly  surprised  to  learn  from 
a  deserter  that  the  English  numbered  only  eight  hundred. 

Oglethorpe  knew  that  the  men  had  deserted,  and  some  plan  must  be 
contrived  to  deceive  the  Spaniards.  What  did  he  do  but  write  a  letter 
to  the  deserters ! 

"  Persuade  the  Spaniards  to  believe  that  the  English  have  only  a  few 
hundred  men.  Don't  let  the  Spaniards  know  that  two  thousand  men  are 
coming  from  Charleston,  nor  that  Admiral  Yernon  is  on  his  way  with  a 


356  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE    COLONIES. 

fleet  to  attack  St.  Augustine.  If  you  are  successful,  a  heavy  reward  will 
be  paid  you !" 

Oglethorpe  had  taken  some  of  the  Spaniards  prisoners.  One  of  them 
was  promised  a  great  reward  if  he  would  deliver  the  letter  to  the  desert 
ers.  Did  the  deserter  receive  the  letter  ?  Not  by  any  means.  It  found 
its  way,  just  as  Oglethorpe  expected  it  would,  into  the  hands  of  Don 
Montiama. 

"  Sails !"  "  Sails  !"  There  they  were,  white  specks  out  upon  the 
ocean.  The  Spaniards  could  see  them.  They  must  be  a  part  of  Admiral 
Yernon's  fleet,  bound  for  St.  Augustine.  There  was  a  commotion  in  the 
Spanish  camp — soldiers  embarking  in  hot  haste;  and  when  they  were  on 
board,  Don  Montiama  hoisted  sail  and  hastened  to  St.  Augustine,  to  de 
fend  it  against  Admiral  Yernon.  But  the  admiral  never  made  his  ap 
pearance:  the  vessels  were  merchantmen  quietly  pursuing  their  voyage 
to  other  ports.  So,  through  the  trick  played  by  Oglethorpe,  the  Spanish 
invasion  came  to  an  inglorious  end. 


THE  NEGRO  TRAGEDY.  357 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  NEGRO  TRAGEDY. 

TT  was  a  foolish  thing  for  Mrs.  Hogg  to  do — open  her  money-drawer 
J-  when  a  rascally  young  sailor,  by  the  name  of  Wilson,  was  in  her  shop ; 
for,  having  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  silver,  he  walked  down  Broad  Street 
to  John  Hughson's  tavern,  and  told  three  negroes,  Caesar,  Prince,  and 
Cuffee,  all  about  it.  The  next  morning,  when  Mrs.  Hogg  opened  her 
shop,  she  found  that  it  had  been  plundered — that  goods  and  money  were 
missing.  It  was  the  spring  of  1741.  New  York  contained  twelve  thou 
sand  inhabitants,  and  in  a  short  time  everybody  was  talking  about  the 
burglary. 

Some  people  cannot  keep  a  secret.  Cuffee  could  not,  but  showed  a 
handful  of  silver  to  Mary  Burton,  who  did  chores  in  John  Hughson's 
dirty  tavern  down  by  the  North  River.  It  was  not  a  nice  place  for  Mary, 
who  was  only  fifteen  years  old,  for  the  groggery  was  the  resort  of  sailors 
and  the  scum  of  the  town.  Negro  slaves  bought  their  grog  at  Hughson's 
bar.  Mary  was  bound  out  to  the  tavern-keeper,  and  quite  likely  heard 
much  vile  language.  Cuffee  gave  Mary  a  piece  of  money,  which  she  in 
turn  showed  to  her  playmates.  The  secret  was  out,  and  the  constable 
marched  Cuffee,  Prince,  Caesar,  an  Irish  girl  named  Peggy,  and  John 
Hughson  and  his  wife  to  jail  as  robbers  and  accomplices. 

"  Fire  !  fire  !     The  governor's  house  on  fire  !" 

The  people  of  New  York  were  just  finishing  their  dinners.  They  ran 
with  pails,  buckets,  and  ladders,  but  before  they  could  put  out  the  fire 
the  governor's  house,  the  secretary's  office,  and  the  soldiers'  barracks  were 
in  ashes.  A  plumber  had  been  soldering  the  tin  on  the  roof  of  the  gov 
ernor's  house,  and  a  spark  from  his  furnace  had  done  the  mischief.  The 
loss  was  so  great  that  everybody  talked  about  it. 

"  Fire !  fire  !  Captain  Warren's  house  on  fire  !"  It  had  caught  from 
the  chimney  on  the  roof,  but  was  quickly  put  out. 

"  Fire !  fire !  Yan  Zandt's  storehouse  on  fire !"  The  storehouse  stood 
down  by  the  East  River,  and  was  filled  with  lumber  and  hay.  A  man 


358  OLD  TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 

had  been  smoking  in  the  building ;  no  one  doubted  that  a  spark  from  his 
pipe  had  started  the  flames. 

"Fire!  fire!  Mr.  Quirk's  barn  on  fire!"  Bells  are  ringing,  and 
people  are  running  to  put  it  out.  This  the  next  day  after  Van  Zandt's. 
The  barn  was  on  the  east  side  of  the  town. 

"Another  fire  over  west."  Ben  Thomas's  house,  next  to  Captain  Sar- 
bay's.  Two  fires  at  the  same  time  on  Saturday.  Ben  Thomas  owned  a 
negro  slave,  and  the  fire  started  in  his  chamber  over  the  kitchen,  between 
two  beds. 

Coals  near  a  hay-stack,  close  to  John  Murray's  stables  in  Broadway — 
right  in  the  heart  of  the  town.  That  was  what  somebody  discovered  on 
Sunday  morning.  The  coals  had  gone  out,  but  there  they  were.  Who 
put  them  there  ?  That  was  the  question. 

"  Fire !  fire  !  Sergeant  Burns's  house  is  on  fire !"  That  was  the 
alarm  on  Monday  morning.  The  people  ran,  but  found  that  it  was  only 
the  burning  of  soot  in  the  chimney. 

"Fire!  fire!  Mrs.  Hilton's  house,  next  to  Captain  Sarbay's  — -  the 
roof  in  flames  !"  That  was  the  alarm  of  Monday  afternoon  ;  seven  alarms 
in  two  weeks.  No  doubt  somebody  was  trying  to  burn  the  town.  Who 
could  it  be  ?  "  The  negroes — Spanish  negroes !" 

Who  were  they?  Captain  Sarbay  owned  one  of  them.  They  had 
been  brought  into  New  York  from  a  Spanish  vessel  which  had  been 
captured. 

"We  are  freemen  in  our  own  country,"  said  the  negroes;  but  the 
court  had  condemned  them  to  be  sold  as  slaves.  It  must  be  that  they 
were  taking  their  revenge.  That  was  the  conclusion  arrived  at,  without 
thought  or  reason.  There  was  no  positive  evidence  that  either  of  the 
houses  had  been  set  on  fire.  That  in  Ben  Thomas's  house  was  over  the 
kitchen,  and  a  spark  from  a  crevice  in  the  chimney  might  have  set  the 
straw-beds  on  fire.  The  coals  by  John  Murray's  hay-stack  might  have 
been  extinguished  before  they  were  thrown  there. 

Mrs.  Earle,  who  lived  on  Broadway,  had  a  story  to  tell.  Three  ne 
groes  were  going  past  her  house.  One  said,  "  Fire  !  fire !  scorch  a  little 
now;  but  by-and-by— "  Then  he  swore. 

Mrs.  Earle's  hair  stood  on  end.  Those  words  "  by-and-by,"  did  they 
not  mean  something  terrible  ?  She  told  her  neighbor  Mrs.  George  about 
it,  and  Mrs.  George  felt  the  cold  shivers  creep  over  her. 

"  There  they  are!"  The  two  women  looked  out  and  saw  the  three 
negroes ;  one  of  them  was  Mr.  Walters's  Quaco.  The  women,  with  their 
hearts  in  their  mouths,  rushed  out  to  tell  their  neighbors  that  there  was 


THE  NEGRO  TRAGEDY.  359 

a  dreadful  conspiracy  among  the  negroes  to  burn  the  town.  People  lost 
their  wits,  became  panic-stricken,  and  seized  a  large  number  of  the 
negroes  and  thrust  them  into  jail. 

"  What  did  you  mean,  Quaco,  when  you  said,  '  Scorch  a  little — but 
by-and-byf  " 

"  I  meant  that  tke  Spaniards  had  got  scorched  by  Admiral  Yernon, 
and  that  they  would  get  more  by-and-by,"  said  Quaco. 

The  news  had  just  come  that  Admiral  Vernon  had  captured  Porto 
Bello,  in  the  West  Indies. 

"  To  white  people,  one  hundred  pounds  ;  to  free  negroes,  one  hundred 
pounds  and  pardon ;  to  slaves,  one  hundred  pounds,  pardon,  freedom !" 
That  was  what  the  governor  offered  to  those  who  would  tell  what  they 
knew  about  the  conspiracy.  He  called  out  the  troops  to  patrol  the  town. 
He  called  the  Supreme  Court  together,  and  summoned  the  grand-jury. 
Every  lawyer  in  New  York  offered  his  services  to  the  governor  to  aid 
in  ferreting  out  the  conspirators.  Governor,  judges,  sheriffs,  grand-jury, 
lawyers,  people — all  were  beside  themselves.  The  entire  community  was 
panic-stricken.  The  soldiers  marched  the  streets  with  their  guns,  the 
constables  searched  all  the  houses  of  the  negroes  who  were  in  jail;  but 
they  found  no  evidence  of  any  conspiracy  or  plan  for  insurrection. 

April  came,  and  the  court  sat  to  try  the  negroes ;  also  John  Hughson 
for  robbing  Mrs.  Hogg,  and  Arthur  Price  for  stealing  goods  when  the 
governor's  house  was  on  fire.  Mary  Burton  was  the  chief  witness. 

"  Do  you  know  anything  about  the  conspiracy  3"  Mary  bit  her  apron. 
"  Tell  us  all  about  it,  Mary  ;  you  can  have  one  hundred  pounds." 

One  hundred  pounds !  What  a  sum  for  a  girl  of  fifteen !  Mary 
hesitated. 

"  You  must  tell  us ;  you  must  speak  the  truth.  What  a  terrible  sin  if 
you  do  not !  you  will  have  to  answer  for  it  at  the  day  of  judgment.  It 
will  be  a  damnable  sin  laid  at  your  door,"  said  Judge  Horsmenden. 

She  was  in  court.  There  sat  the  judges,  wearing  their  big  white 
wigs.  There  were  seventeen  of  the  coolest -headed  men  and  most  re 
spected  citizens  of  New  York.  Is  it  strange  that  a  chore-girl  of  a  dirty 
tavern,  who  had  no  education,  no  friends,  who  was  little  better  than  a 
slave,  whose  master  and  mistress  were  in  jail  for  receiving  stolen  goods — 
is  it  a  wonder  that,  with  one  hundred  pounds  before  her,  besieged  by  the 
governor,  judges,  jury,  and  all  the  lawyers,  she  should  tell  such  a  story  aa 
they  wanted  to  hear — that  there  was  a  conspiracy  among  the  negroes  ? 

"  Yes,  there  was  a  conspiracy ;  she  had  heard  Cuffee,  Caesar,  and 
Prince  talk  it  over.  They  talked  about  burning  the  fort  and  the  tavern. 


360  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

They  were  going  to  do  it  in  the  night,  and  when  the  people  came  to  put 
out  the  fires  the  negroes  would  kill  them.  John  Hughson,  Mrs.  Hughson, 
and  Peggv,  an  Irish  girl,  had  promised  to  help  them.  Caesar  was  to  be 
governor,  and  Hughsou  king.  There  were  thirty  negroes  in  it.  They 
had  eight  muskets,  three  pistols,  and  four  swords  !" 

"What  a  revelation !  Judges  and  jury  stood  aghast !  Every  white 
man,  woman,  and  child  not  in  the  plot  to  be  murdered !  They  were  so 
horrified  that  they  could  not  see  how  absurd  the  story,  and  how  great  the 
improbability — that  it  was  a  lie  from  beginning  to  end.  Thirty  negroes, 
with  eight  guns,  three  pistols,  and  four  swords,  were  to  murder  twelve 
thousand  white  men  and  women,  and  set  up  a  government  of  their  own! 

"  Go  on,  Mary.     Tell  us  more." 

And  Mary  went  on,  telling  how  they  were  to  stand  at  the  door  of 
Trinitv  Church,  and  murder  the  people  when  they  came  out  of  meeting. 

Arthur  Price,  who  was  in  prison  for  stealing  goods  from  the  govern 
or's  house,  saw  that  there  was  a  chance  for  him  to  get  clear,  and  have 
one  hundred  pounds  besides.  He  swore  that  Mary  had  told  a  true  story. 
Caesar  and  Prince  were  condemned  to  be  hung.  "We  are  not  guilty," 
said  the  negroes,  as  they  stood  with  the  halters  around  their  necks.  No 
body  believed  them,  and  the  sheriff  swung  them  off. 

The  governor  appointed  May  13th  for  fasting  and  prayer.  On  that 
day  there  was  a  fire  over  in  Hackensack,  and  two  barns  burnt.  Of  course 
the  negroes  did  it.  Two  were  arrested,  one  confessed  ;  both  were  tied  to 
stakes  and  burnt  to  death. 

Wilder  grew  the  excitement.  Mary  Burton  had  more  confessions  to 
make;  the  judges  and  jury  accepted  every  word  of  her  statement  as 
truth.  John  Hughson,  his  wife,  and  Peggy  were  hung. 

"We  are  innocent;  there  is  not  a  word  of  truth  in  Mary's  stories," 
they  said.  But  what  were  their  protestations  worth  with  people  wko 
were  going  crazy  with  excitement.  There  must  be  somebody  behind  the 
negroes. 

A  ship  sailed  into  the  harbor  from  Savannah,  bringing  a  letter  from 
Governor  Oglethorpe,  of  Georgia,  to  Lieutenant-governor  Clark.  "I 
have  some  intelligence  of  a  villanous  design.  The  Spaniards  have  em 
ployed  emissaries  to  burn  all  the  magazines  and  large  towns  in  America. 
Many  priests  are  employed  for  the  purpose,  who  pretend  to  be  physicians, 
dancing- masters,  and  other  such  kind  of  occupations,"  wrote  Governor 
Oglethorpe. 

"The  Spaniards!  the  Papists!  the  Papists!"  The  cry  ran  through 
the  town.  Who  were  the  emissaries  ? 


THE  NEGRO  TRAGEDY.  361 

"  John  Ney,  the  school-master ;  he  is  a  priest  in  disguise." 

Poor  John  !N~ey,  a  quiet,  inoffensive,  retiring  man,  who  had  always 
minded  his  own  business,  and  had  eked  out  a  scanty  living  by  teaching 
school,  was  hauled  up  before  the  court. 

"  He  has  been  often  at  our  house,"  said  John  Hughson's  daughter, 
Sarah,  who  also  had  been  arrested,  and  who  was  thinking  how  she  could 
save  her  own  neck  from  the  halter.  "He  used  to  draw  a  circle  on  the 
floor  with  chalk,  and  each  negro  put  his  foot  in  it  and  swore  a  terrible 
oath  to  kill  all  the  white  folks.  He  gave  them  the  sacrament,  and  ab 
solved  them  from  all  sin,"  she  said,  telling  a  lie  which  governor,  judges, 
jury,  and  lawyers  all  believed ;  and  John  Xey,  without  a  friend  to  utter 
a  word  in  his  defence,  was  taken  out  to  the  gallows. 

"I  never  knew  Hughson  or  his  wife;  never  saw  them.  I  have  no 
knowledge  of  any  conspiracy.  I  am  not  a  Catholic,  but  a  minister  of  the 
Church  of  England." 

What  was  that  denial  to  a  panic-stricken  court  and  people  ? 

"He  is  a  Papist — a  conspirator.     Hang  him  !" 

The  rope  was  put  round  his  neck,  the  black  cap  drawn  over  his  head, 
the  rope  cut,  and  his  lifeless  body  dangled  in  the  air. 

Mr.  Roosevelt's  negro,  Quaco,  was  charged  with  having  set  the  govern 
ors  house  on  fire,  when,  before  the  panic,  everybody  was  satisfied  that 
the  wind  had  blown  a  spark  from  the  plumber's  furnace,  which  had  set 
the  roof  on  fire. 

"  Burn  him,  if  he  will  not  confess." 

Quaco  was  tied  to  the  stake,  and  the  fagots  piled  around  him. 

"  Tell  all  you  know  about  the  conspiracy,  and  you  shall  be  pardoned.'* 

"I  set  the  governor's  house  on  fire.  I  took  a  coal  from  the  kitchen 
and  carried  it  up  to  the  roof,  but  it  didn't  catch.  I  went  up  the  next 
day,  blew  the  coals  into  a  flame,  and  kindled  the  fire." 

"  Burn  him !  burn  him !"  shouted  the  crowd,  too  crazy  to  see  that 
Quaco's  confession  was  a  lie — that  a  brand  would  not  hold  its  fire  for 
twenty-four  hours.  "Burn  him  !  burn  him  !" 

The  fagots  were  lighted,  the  flames  curled  around  him,  and  his  life 
went  out  amidst  the  hootings  and  maledictions  of  the  demented  multi 
tude. 

"  White  men  who  wore  ruffled  shirts  used  to  come  to  the  tavern. 
They  sent  letters  to  Hughson  with  money  in  them,"  said  Mary  Burton, 
inventing  more  lies. 

White  men  with  ruffled  shirts!     Who  were  they?     Mary  gave  the 

names  of  some  of  the  best  men  in  New  York. 
12* 


362  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

Ah!  Judge  Horsmanden  begins  to  see  things  in  a  different  light. 
That  cannot  be.  Mary  is  telling  lies.  The  panic  dies  out  as  suddenly  as 
it  began. 

The  governor  appoints  a  day  of  thanksgiving.  For  what?  "To 
thank  God  for  having  delivered  the  colony  from  the  execrable  conspir 
acy  ;"  so  read  the  proclamation. 

Conspiracy!  There  had  been  none.  The  negroes  were  innocent. 
John  Ney  was  innocent.  The  Papists,  the  Spaniards,  had  laid  no  plans. 
The  Pope  had  no  emissaries  in  disguise.  There  was  not  a  Catholic  priest 
in  New  York.  John  Hughson,  his  wife,  and  Peggy  were  all  innocent, 
except  as  receivers  of  the  goods  which  Cuffee,  Prince,  and  Caesar  had 
stolen.  There  was  no  evidence  entitled  to  the  court's  credence  that  any 
fire  had  been  set  by  design.  The  confession  which  Quaco  had  made 
was  invented  by  the  poor  fellow  in  his  fright — a  vain  effort  to  save  his 
life.  How  sad  the  record  !  Nearly  two  hundred  imprisoned ;  twelve 
burnt  to  death ;  eighteen  hung ;  thirty  -  two  transported  arid  sold  as 
slaves  in  the  West  Indies,  and  every  one  innocent ! 

How  shall  we  account  for  such  a  craze?  Governor,  judges,  the  wisest 
and  best  men,  the  whole  community,  going  mad,  losing  their  wits,  im 
prisoning,  hanging  the  innocent,  believing  the  stories  of  an  injudicious 
chore-girl  of  a  dirty  groggery,  rejecting  the  protestations  of  a  school-mas 
ter—a  minister  of  the  Church  of  England.  Accepting  lies  for  truth,  and 
regarding  the  truth  as  lies. 

The  hanging  of  the  twenty  men  and  women  at  Salem  was  a  ripple 
of  the  great  wave  of  superstition  that  had  been  sweeping  over  Europe, 
sending  hundreds  and  thousands  to  the  stake  and  gallows.  Popes,  bish 
ops,  priests,  Catholic  and  Protestant  alike — good  men  in  every  country — 
believed  that  God  had  commanded  them  to  put  witches  to  death.  There 
were  tears  upon  the  cheeks  of  the  judges  at  Salem  when  they  condemned 
Rebecca  Nurse. 

A  half-century  had  rolled  away  since  the  delusion  in  regard  to  witch 
craft  ;  but  suddenly,  with  no  superstition  of  the  ages  to  give  it  force,  a 
wilder  panic  seized  the  people  of  New  York.  Everybody  went  crazy- 
governor,  judges,  jury,  lawyers,  ministers,  people  ! 

It  is  the  most  unaccountable  event  in  the  history  of  our  country. 


THE   BEGINNING  OF  A  GREAT  STRUGGLE.  363 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  A  GREAT  STRUGGLE. 

WHO  owned  the  country  west  of  the  Alleghanies?  "  England  owns 
it  by  priority  of  discovery,"  said  George  II. ;  "  for  Sebastian  Cabot 
was  the  first  to  sail  along  the  Atlantic  Coast,  and  Sir  Francis  Drake  was 
the  first  to  visit  the  Pacific.  England  owns  from  ocean  to  ocean." 

"  It  belongs  to  France,"  said  Louis  XV.  "  Champlain  was  the  first 
European  who  visited  the  country  of  the  Great  Lakes." 

Four  years  had  passed  since  the  signing  of  the  treaty  between  France 
and  England  at  Aix-la-Chapelle.  It  was  only  the  laying  down  of  the 
sword  for  a  short  time.  Nothing  had  been  said  about  boundaries  in 
America,  and  anybody  could  see  that  the  struggle  sooner  or  later  would 
Degin  again.  During  the  year  the  Indians  of  Canada,  especially  of  the 
St.  Francis  tribe,  which  were  most  under  the  influence  of  the  Jesuits, 
were  restless.  They  had  made  many  forays  in  the  past  upon  the  settle- 
nents  in  New  Hampshire,  and  were  eager  to  be  once  more  engaged  in 
capturing  English  prisoners,  and  selling  them  as  slaves  to  the  French  in 
Montreal. 

In  April,  1752,  David  Stinson,  Amos  Eastman,  William  and  John 
Stark,  paddled  up  the  Merrimac  in  canoes.  Twenty-five  miles  brought 
them  to  the  frontier  settlement  at  Boscawen.  They  pushed  on  up  the 
winding  river  forty  miles  farther ;  entered  Baker's  River,  a  little  stream 
which  meandered  through  a  lovely  valley,  built  a  camp,  and  set  their  traps 
to  catch  the  beaver  which  were  building  their  dams  across  the  streams. 

"There  are  Indians  about.  I  have  discovered  their  tracks,"  said  one 
of  the  party. 

"We  had  best  take  up  our  traps,"  they  said,  and  John  Stark  went  to 
take  them  up,  when  suddenly  he  found  himself  confronted  by  two  In 
dians,  who  made  him  their  prisoner.  They  did  not  know  that  there  were 
more  English  near  by,  nor  did  John  tell  them. 

"Why  is  John  gone  so  long?  Perhaps  he  has  got  lost,"  said  the 
other  hunters.  They  fired  a  gun.  The  countenances  of  the  Indians 


364 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


lifted  with  joy.  They  stole  through  the  forest  with  John,  and  came 
upon  his  three  companions.  Eastman  was  on  the  shore,  William  Stark 
and  Stinson  in  the  boat.  They  seized  Eastman. 


+  Shayr  general  lines  of 
frtni-h.  militcuypotts. 


THE    FRENCH    FORTS. 


"  Pull  to  the  other  shore !"  shouted  John. 

Crack!   crack!    went  the  guns   of  the  Indians.      Stinson   fell  dead, 
and  a  bullet  split  the  paddle  in  William  Stark's  hand.     He  leaped  to  the 


CRACK!  CRACK!  WENT  THE  GUNS  OF  THE  INDIANS.' 


THE   BEGINNING   OF  A  GREAT   STRUGGLE.  367 

other  bank.  Crack !  crack !  went  the  guns  again.  The  bullets  whistled 
around  William,  but  he  was  a  swift  runner,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight. 
The  Indians  gave  John  a  whipping  for  having  shouted  to  William,  loaded 
him  with  the  plunder  of  the  camp,  and  marched  quickly  to  their  canoes. 
They  divided,  one  party  going  west  over  the  Green  Mountains  with  the 
furs  which  they  had  captured — going  directly  to  Albany,  because  they 
could  get  better  prices  there  than  in  Canada — and  the  other  party,  with 
their  two  prisoners,  paddling  up  the  Connecticut,  carrying  their  canoes  to 
Lake  Memphremagog,  descending  the  St.  Francis  River  to  their  village 
on  the  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  half-way  between  Quebec  and  Montreal. 

The  village  of  St.  Francis  was  a  collection  of  miserable  cabins.  The 
Jesuits  had  built  a  chapel,  where  a  little  tinkling  bell  called  the  Indians 
to  morning  mass  and  evening  vespers. 

The  whole  population — warriors,  squaws,  and  children — came  out  to 
receive  the  party  returning  from  so  successful  a  foray.  True,  there  was 
no  war  between  France  and  England,  but  what  of  that  ?  Had  they  not 
made  war  on  their  own  account?  The  Jesuit  fathers  had  no  rebuke  for 
them.  Were  not  the  English  all  heretics?  The  prisoners  must  run  the 
gauntlet.  It  is  not  quite  certain  what  the  word  came  from,  but  it  means 
running  between  two  rows  of  men  armed  with  sticks,  each  Indian  to  give 
the  prisoner  a  whack  as  he  passed.  Eastman  was  the  oldest,  and  ran  first. 
Whack  !  whack  !  fell  the  blows,  beating  his  flesh  black  and  blue. 

"Your  turn  now!"  said  an  Indian  to  John  Stark. 

He  is  thirty  years  old,  tall,  and  broad-shouldered.  His  muscles  are 
springs  of  steel.  He  has  an  iron  will.  He  is  quick  to  think  and  act. 

The  Indians  grasp  their  cudgels  in  a  firmer  grip.  Stark  comes  upon 
the  run.  Quick  as  a  flash  he  wrests  a  cudgel  from  an  Indian,  swings  it 
about  his  head  with  the  strength  of  a  giant,  giving  blows  on  their  faces 
and  on  their  foreheads.  They  go  down  as  the  Philistines  fell  before 
Samson.  The  Indians  take  to  their  heels  to  escape  his  mighty  strokes. 

"  You  hoe  corn,"  they  say,  putting  a  hoe  in  his  hands. 

He  strikes  it  into  the  ground  a  few  times,  hoeing  up  the  young  corn 
instead  of  the  weeds,  then  flings  the  hoe  into  the  river. 

"  Squaws  hoe  corn,  braves  fight !"  he  said. 

Did  they  punish  him?  On  the  contrary,  they  patted  him  on  the 
shoulder. 

"Bono!  bono!" — good!  good!  they  said, greatly  pleased  at  his  spirit; 
they  wanted  him  to  be  their  chief. 

Eastman  got  his  freedom  for  sixty  dollars;  but  Stark  had  to  pay  one 
hundred  for  being  so  bold  and  brave. 


368 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


While  the  Jesuit  Indians  were  making  raids  upon  the  Merrimac, 
Christopher  Gist  was  crossing  the  Alleghany  Mountains  with  eleven 
families,  and  making  a  settlement  near  Pittsburgh.  Intelligence  of  what 
he  was  doing  reached  the  Governor  of  Canada.  The  English  were  tak 
ing  possession  of  Ohio !  He  would  not  permit  it.  He  determined  to 
drive  them  out.  He  sent  a  party  of  soldiers,  who  built  a  fort  on  the 
Alleghany  at  Franklin,  in  Yenango  County,  in  the  territory  which  the 
Ohio  Company  had  purchased. 

Governor  Dinwiddie,  of  Virginia,  looked  around  to  find  some  one  to 
send  a  message  to  the  French.  There  were  many  able  men  in  the  prime 

of  life  in  Virginia,  but  he  passed  them 
all  by,  and  selected  a  tall  young  man — 
only  twenty-two  years  old — George  Wash 
ington. 

Who  was  he,  and  what  had  he  done 
to  commend  himself  to  act  as  ambassador 
in  a  matter  affecting  the  relations  not 
only  of  the  Ohio  Company,  but  Virginia 
and  all  the  other  colonies  ?  He  was  great- 
grandson  of  John  Washington,  who  stood 
so  staunchly  by  Charles  I.,  who  emigrated 
to  Virginia  when  Cromwell  came  into 
power.  He  was  born  on  February  22d, 
1732,  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  in  a 
little,  old,  low -roofed  house,  with  a  big 
chimney  on  the  outside  of  each  gable. 

Soon  after  his  birth  his  father  moved 
to  Fredericksburg,  and  George  went  to 

school  and  studied  arithmetic  and  grammar,  and  learned  to  write  a 
clear  round  hand.  His  oldest  brother,  Lawrence,  was  sent  to  England  to 
be  educated.  He  came  back  in  1740.  England  and  Spain  were  at  war, 
and  the  English  went  on  an  expedition  to  the  West  Indies  to  capture  the 
Spanish  towns.  Virginia  raised  some  troops,  and  Lawrence  Washington 
went  as  captain,  and  had  a  taste  of  fighting  in  an  attack  by  Admiral  Ver 
non  ^ori  Carthagena.  He  was  gone  two  years.  His  father  died  in  1743, 
leaving  a  great  estate  on  the  Potomac  to  Lawrence,  which  he  named 
Mount  Vernon,  in  honor  of  his  commander,  Admiral  Vernon.  He  built 
a  fine  mansion  overlooking  the  river,  married  Annie  Fairfax,  and  lived  in 
fine  style,  having  a  stable  full  of  horses. 

George  was  eleven  years  old,  and  was  sent  to  Mr.  Williams's  school, 


ARMS  AND  CREST  OF  THE  WASHINGTON 
FAMILY. 


THE   BEGINNING  OF  A  GREAT  STRUGGLE. 


369 


where  he  studied  surveying.  He  wanted  to  be  a  midshipman  on  one  of 
Admiral  Vernon's  ships.  A  commission  was  obtained  for  him ;  but  his 
mother  asked  him  to  give  up  the  idea  of  being  a  sailor,  and  his  affection 
for  her  was  so  tender  that  he  did  not  accept  the  commission. 

When  he  was  fifteen  years  old  he  went  to  Mount  Vernon  to  live  with 
Lawrence,  whose  next  neighbor  was  Lord  Fairfax  —  a  tall,  gaunt,  raw- 
boned  man,  with  sharp  nose,  piercing  eyes,  sixty  years  old,  who  owned 
immense  estates  on  the  Potomac,  and  beyond  the  Blue  Ridge  along  the 
Shenandoah,  which  he  had  inherited  from  his  mother,  daughter  of  Lord 


MOUNT   VERNON. 


Culpepper,  to  whom  they  had  been  given  by  Charles  II.  Lord  Fairfax 
had  many  horses.  He  was  fond  of  hunting  and  riding  at  a  breakneck 
speed,  leaping  fallen  trees  and  high  fences,  in  chasing  deer  and  foxes  with 
a  pack  of  hounds  and  a  troop  of  his  neighbors.  A  fox-hunt  in  the  early 
morning,  when  the  air  was  fresh  and  invigorating,  stirred  the  blood — the 
master  of  the  band  sending  out  blasts  from  his  trumpet  that  echoed  far 

over  the  valley,  and  singing  a  hunting  song : 
24 


370  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

"A  southerly  wind  and  clondy  sky 

Proclaim  it  a  hunting  morning; 

Before  the  sun  rises,  away  we  fly, 

Dull  sleep  and  a  downy  bed  scorning. 

Tantara!  tantara!  tantara!" 

Of  all  the  riders  there  was  none  bolder  than  George  Washington.  No 
untamed  colt,  no  matter  how  high  he  might  kick,  could  unseat  the  tall 
boy  when  he  was  once  on  the  animal's  back. 

Lord  Fairfax  wanted  his  land  in  the  Shenandoah  surveyed,  and  en 
gaged  the  sixteen-year-old  lad  to  do  the  work.  He  rode  on  horseback 
up  the  valley  of  the  Potomac,  entered  the  valley  of  the  "  Daughter  of 
the  Stars,"  as  the  Indians  called  the  beautiful  Shenandoah.  He  laid  off 
the  wild  land  into  farms,  working  hard  all  day  with  his  compass,  sleeping 
at  night  on  the  floor  of  a  log-cabin,  or  wrapping  himself  in  his  blanket 
beneath  the  trees,  earning  five  or  six  dollars  a  day. 

He  laid  out  a  manor  for  Lord  Fairfax,  who  built  a  great  house,  with 
numerous  outbuildings,  and  who  treated  everybody  with  the  greatest  hos 
pitality.  He  called  his  place  Greenway  Court.  Squatters,  negroes,  In 
dians,  always  could  have  a  meal  of  victuals  at  Greenway. 

The  Governor  of  Virginia  appointed  him  public  surveyor.  The 
planters  paid  him  liberally.  They  raised  a  great  deal  of  tobacco,  which 
they  pressed  into  hogsheads,  and  which  was  rolled  to  Belhaven,  on  the 
Potomac,  where  they  loaded  it  on  vessels  and  shipped  it  to  England. 

Belhaven  was  a  hamlet  of  a  few  houses ;  but  Colonel  Fairfax,  Law 
rence  Washington,  and  a  few  of  their  neighbors,  thinking  it  might  be 
made  a  large  town,  purchased  the  land,  and  set  the  young  surveyor  to  lay 
ing  it  out.  They  named  it  Alexandria.  Whatever  he  undertook  to  do 
was  well  done.  He  wrote  the  notes  of  his  survey  in  a  clear  round  hand, 
easy  to  read  as  a  printed  page.  He  was  so  much  respected  that  the  gov 
ernor  appointed  him  a  major  in  the  militia  when  he  was  only  eighteen. 
He  took  fencing  lessons  of  Jacob  Yan  Braam,  a  Dutchman,  who  had  been 
with  his  brother  Lawrence  in  the  war  against  the  Spaniards. 

Governor  Dinwiddie  had  tried  in  vain  to  find  some  one  who  would 
take  a  letter  to  the  French  beyond  the  mountains.  Of  all  the  brave 
and  able  men  in  Virginia,  no  one  cared  to  go.  There  were  terrible  hard 
ships  to  be  encountered,  to  say  nothing  of  the  chance  of  a  man  losing 
his  scalp. 

I  will  go,  sir,"  said  the  young  surveyor,  twenty  years  old,  and  he  was 
so  self-reliant  and  capable  that  the  governor  intrusted  him  with  the 
mission. 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  A  GREAT  STRUGGLE. 


371 


WASHINGTON    SURVEYING    LORD    FAIRFAX  S    LAND. 

The  leaves  were  falling  from  the  elms  and  maples  on  the  30th  of 
October,  when  he  started  from  William sburg  with  Jacob  Yan  Braarn, 
who  was  to  go  with  him.  Eight  men,  with  a  tent  and  provisions,  accom 
panied  them  on  horseback.  Two  were  Indians. 

They  rode  up  the  valley  of  the  Potomac  to  Cumberland,  followed 


372  OLD  TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 

up  a  little  stream  called  Will's  Creek,  climbed  over  the  mountains,  and 
reached  the  Monongahela.  The  provisions  were  put  in  a  canoe  and  sent 
down  the  stream;  but  the  men  on  horseback  reached  the  Ohio  before 
the  men  in  the  boats.  While  waiting  for  it,  the  young  surveyor  was 
making  a  map  of  the  country. 

"  Here  is  a  place  for  a  fort,  and  it  will  be  a  city  some  day,"  he  said, 
as  he  stood  upon  the  point  of  land  at  the  junction  of  the  Alleghany  and 
Monongahela,  where  now  the  smoke  of  thousands  of  furnaces  of  Pitts 
burgh  darken  the  sun. 

It  was  seventy  miles  up  the  valley  to  the  first  French  fort  at  Yenango. 
The  French  commander,  Joncaire,  had  no  authority  to  receive  the  letters. 
He  must  send  Major  Washington  to  his  superior  up  French  Creek,  to 
Fort  La  Boeuf ;  but  he  treated  the  young  officer  from  Virginia  with  great 
respect,  entertaining  him  with  wine  grown  in  the  vineyards  of  France. 

"  The  country  is  ours,  and  we  intend  to  hold  it,"  said  the  French  com 
mander. 

Four  weary  days  through  the  snow,  where  now  fountains  of  oil  are 
flowing,  brought  them  to  Fort  La  Boeuf,  fifteen  miles  only  from  Lake 
Erie.  Washington  presented  his  letter,  was  courteously  entertained  two 
days,  and  received  a  letter  in  reply,  to  be  delivered  to  the  Governor  of 
Virginia. 

Great  were  the  hardships  of  the  homeward  journey.  There  had  been 
heavy  rains.  French  Creek  was  swollen.  The  canoes  of  the  voyagers 
were  in  danger  of  being  dashed  upon  the  rocks.  Many  times  Washing 
ton  had  to  leap  into  the  water  to  lift  the  boats  from  the  rocks. 

It  was  Christmas  when  they  started  from  Venango.  The  pack-horses 
were  broken  down.  Washington  piled  the  baggage  on  his  horse,  and 
started  on  foot,  dressed  as  an  Indian.  The  snow  was  deep,  and  the  rivers 
filled  with  ice.  Washington  and  Mr.  Gist,  who  was  with  him,  left  Van 
Braam  and  the  others,  and  struck  through  the  forest  for  the  junction  of 
the  Alleghany  and  the  Monongahela,  taking  an  Indian  for  a  guide;  but 
the  Indian  was  in  the  pay  of  the  French,  and  led  them  a  roundabout 
tramp  through  the  woods.  The  Indian  was  in  advance;  suddenly  he 
turned,  raised  his  gun,  and  fired  at  Washington.  lie  was  not  three  rods 
away,  but,  strange  to  say,  missed  him.  The  Indian  sprung  behind  a  tree, 
and  began  to  load  his  gun.  Washington  and  Gist  seized  him. 

"  I'll  put  an  end  to  the  rascal !"  said  Gist. 

"  Oh  no,"  said  Washington  ;  "  we  will  set  him  adrift." 

They  gave  him  a  piece  of  meat,  but  kept  his  gun.  They  travelled 
all  night,  going  by  the  compass,  and  reached  the  Alleghany.  The  river 


THE  BEGINNING  OF  A  GREAT  STRUGGLE.  373 

was  filled  with  floating  ice.  They  had  only  one  hatchet,  but  set  them 
selves  to  work,  taking  turns  in  building  a  raft,  which  took  them  all  day. 
They  got  on  board  with  poles  to  push  it  across  the  stream.  When  half 
way,  a  cake  of  ice  struck  Washington  with  such  force  that  it  knocked 
him  from  the  raft ;  but  he  got  on  board  once  more.  The  ice  was  so 
thick  that  they  could  not  push  the  raft  to  either  shore,  and  landed  upon 
an  island.  Night  came  on.  They  were  drenched  to  the  skin.  Their 
clothes  were  coats  of  frozen  mail.  They  nearly  lost  their  lives  from 
freezing;  but  when  morning  came  the  river  was  frozen  from  shore  to 
shore,  and  they  gained  the  land,  pushed  on  all  day,  reached  the  cabin 
of  a  settler,  and  were  saved  from  perishing. 

Jacob  Yan  Braam  and  the  others  of  the  party  carne ;  and  with  fresh 
horses  they  made  their  way  over  the  mountains,  reaching  Williamsburg 
January  16th,  1754. 

What  was  the  reply  of  the  French  ?  That  the  letter  of  the  Governor 
of  Virginia  would  be  sent  to  the  Governor  of  Canada,  the  Marquis  du 
Quesne. 


374 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES, 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

DEFEAT  OF  GENERAL  BRADDOCK. 


«  TTTE  must  secure  the  Ohio  country  in  advance  of  the  French,"  waa 
W  the  declaration  of  the  Governor  of  Virginia. 
The  assembly  voted  ten  thousand  pounds.     A  regiment  was  raised. 
Joshua  Fry  was  appointed  colonel,  and  George  Washington  lieutenant- 


THE    LAND    IN    DISPUTE. 


colonel.  Two  of  the  companies  were  sent  to  build  a  fort  on  the  spot 
which  Washington  had  selected.  They  made  their  way  through  the 
woods,  down  the  Monongahela,  and  began  to  build  the  fort ;  but  were 
suddenly  interrupted  by  the  appearance  of  sixty  large  flat-boats  and 


DEFEAT   OF  GENERAL  BRADDOCK.  375 

three  hundred  canoes,  bringing  one  thousand  French  and  Indians,  and 
eighteen  cannon.  Captain  Contrecoeur  was  commander. 

"  Surrender,  or  I  shall  fire  upon  you,"  he  said. 

There  were  only  forty-one  Virginians  in  the  party,  and  Ensign  Ward, 
who  commanded  them,  was  obliged  to  surrender,  but  was  permitted  to 
leave  with  his  men.  The  French  went  to  work  with  axes  and  spades,  and 
erected  a  strong  fort,  mounted  their  cannon  upon  it,  and  named  it  Du 
Quesne,  in  honor  of  the  Governor  of  Canada. 

Ensign  Ward  reached  Cumberland,  and  told  Washington  of  what  had 
taken  place.  Though  the  French  had  occupied  the  country  in  advance 
of  Washington,  he  was  not  the  man  to  turn  back,  but  inarched  to  Great 
Meadows,  thirty-seven  miles  from  Pittsburgh. 

"  The  French  are  coming  out  to  surprise  you,"  was  the  word  brought 
by  an  Indian. 

Why  not  surprise  them?  He  started  at  midnight  and  fell  upon  them. 
Their  leader,  Jumonville,  was  killed,  and  half  the  party  captured.  He 
returned  quickly  to  Great  Meadows,  threw  up  a  little  fort,  which  he 
named  "Fort  Necessity,"  and  sent  a  messenger  for  his  re-enforcements  to 
hasten ;  but  before  they  arrived  a  large  body  of  French  and  Indians  were 
upon  him,  and  he  was  obliged  to  surrender. 

War  had  not  been  declared  between  France  and  England,  but  it  had 
begun.  It  was  not  a  struggle  merely  to  determine  to  whom  the  country 
west  of  the  Alleghany  belonged ;  not  a  question  of  boundaries,  but  a  con 
flict  between  two  civilizations,  two  races,  two  religions. 

The  French  were  descended  from  people  who  spoke  the  Latin  lan 
guage.  They  were  Catholics.  Their  rulers  had  always  taught  that  gov 
ernment  was  paternal,  and  would  take  care  of  them. 

The  English  had  German  and  Norman  blood  in  their  veins.  Their 
language  was  strong  and  vigorous.  They  did  not  regard  the  king  as 
their  father ;  they  had  protested  against  the  claim  of  popes  and  priests 
to  hold  their  consciences  and  intellects  in  their  keeping.  Government  to 
them  was  not  paternal.  Men  were  individuals,  and  had  a  right  to  make 
their  own  laws,  which  the  king  himself  was  bound  to  obey. 

The  French  and  Jesuits  were  setting  themselves  to  hold  a  vast  terri 
tory,  capable  of  sustaining  millions  of  the  human  race.  They  intended 
to  make  the  range  of  mountains,  from  the  White  Mountains  in  New 
Hampshire  to  Central  Alabama,  the  boundary  between  the  two  civiliza 
tions,  races,  and  religions. 

The  English  colonies  had  a  population  of  eleven  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  thousand  whites,  and  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  thousand  negroes. 


3T6  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

The  French  population  of  Canada  was  only  about  one  hundred  and  twen^ 
ty  thousand ;  so  there  were  fourteen  people  in  the  English  settlements 
where  there  was  one  in  Canada. 

Why  had  not  Canada  grown  faster?  because  the  French  did  not  like 
to  leave  their  vineyards  and  their  sunny  homes,  to  live  in  a  country 
where  the  snow  covered  the  ground  from  November  to  May.  The  peas 
ants  of  la  belle  France  preferred  to  live  where  they  could  gather  with 
their  neighbors  in  the  pleasant  wine-shops  of  their  native  villages,  and 
talk  of  what  was  going  on,  and  have  a  dance  upon  the  green  in  the  calm 
summer  evenings.  Why  should  they  leave  such  pleasures  to  live  where 
the  wolves  and  foxes  were  ever  howling? 

The  Jesuits  had  done  what  they  could  to  build  up  Canada.  They  had 
been  very  zealous  for  the  Church  of  Rome  and  for  the  order  of  Loyola. 
There  was  scarcely  a  heretic  in  all  that  vast  reach  of  country.  Bitter 
their  hatred ;  but  hate  and  prejudice  always  make  men  blind,  not  only  to 
what  is  right  but  to  their  own  interests. 

It  was  an  irreparable  mistake  which  the  Jesuits  made  when  they  in 
duced  Louis  XIV.  to  revoke  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  and  at  the  same  time 
excluding  the  Huguenots  from  Canada.  The  Huguenots  were  attached 
to  France,  and  when  they  were  in  exile,  when  they  were  being  burnt  to 
death,  sent  up  fervent  prayers  for  the  king.  They  would  have  emigrated 
to  Canada,  but  the  Jesuits  kept  them  out.  Canada  and  the  whole  of 
America  between  the  Alleghanies  and  the  Pacific  Ocean  was  to  be  theirs. 
They  were  ever  intermeddling  with  the  Governor  of  Canada,  and  quarrel 
ling  with  the  fur-traders.  The  Governors  of  Canada  were  ever  looking 
after  their  own  interests. 

One,  who  died  just  before  George  Washington  made  his  journey  to 
the  Ohio,  was  feathering  his  own  nest  while  managing  affairs.  The  King 
of  France  allowed  him  thirteen  hundred  dollars  salary,  but  he  laid  up 
sixty  thousand  livres  every  year  by  plundering  the  people.  The  exam 
ple  of  the  governor  was  followed  by  everybody  else.  Father  Letour, 
a  Jesuit  priest,  was  so  greedy  of  making  money  that  he  had  a  con 
tractor  murdered  who  stood  in  the  way  of  his  supplying  a  fort  with 
provisions. 

How  could  Canada  grow  when  everybody  in  office  was  plundering  the 
people?  The  Canadians  lived  by  hunting  and  fishing.  They  loved  the 
wild  life  of  the  woods.  They  planted  but  little.  Why  should  they  clear 
land  and  delve  among  the  stumps  with  hoes,  when  the  woods  and  streams 
were  full  of  game  ? 

Away  back  at  the  beginning  of  things,  when  Adam  was  in  Eden,  God 


DEFEAT  OF  GENERAL  BRADDOCK.  377 

told  him  to  dress  it  and  subdue  the  ground,  and  it  should  bring  forth 
food.  It  is  the  subduing  of  the  ground  that  is  at  the  beginning  of  all 
progress.  A  people  who  live  by  hunting  and  fishing  will  always  be  poor 
and  low  down  in  civilization.  It  is  digging  the  ground  that  produces 
wealth,  and  there  is  no  end  to  the  riches  which  men  can  accumulate  if 
they  begin  in  the  right  way. 

The  English  in  America,  with  sturdy  blows,  had  been  letting  the  sun 
light  in  upon  the  wilderness — clearing  farms,  ploughing,  sowing,  reaping ; 
the  women  spinning  and  weaving:  wheels  were  humming  and  shuttles 
flying  from  morning  till  night. 

Working  with  the  hands  sets  the  brain  to  work.  Every  town  had  its 
school,  its  church,  a  school-master,  and  minister.  Men  were  thinking  for 
themselves — upon  government,  upon  individual  rights,  upon  obligations 
to  themselves,  their  neighbor,  and  to  God. 

Life,  activity,  energy  along  the  Atlantic  shore — on  the  Connecticut, 
Hudson,  and  Potomac ;  sluggishness  and  torpor  on  the  St.  Lawrence.  The 
King  of  France  and  the  Jesuits  managed  everything  in  Canada.  The 
people  had  no  voice  in  anything,  while  in  the  English  colonies  the  people 
managed  their  own  affairs. 

Two  frigates,  the  Nightingale  and  Sea-horse,  commanded  by  Admiral 
Keppel,  with  sixteen  merchant-vessels,  sailed  up  the  Potomac  to  Alexan 
dria,  bringing  two  regiments  of  British  troops,  commanded  by  Major-gen 
eral  Edward  Braddock — haughty,  proud,  austere,  who  looked  down  with 
contempt  upon  the  people  of  America. 

There  were  stirring  times  in  Alexandria — the  king's  troops  landing, 
pitching  their  tents,  appearing  on  parade.  There  was  a  gathering  of 
governors — Shirley  from  Massachusetts,  Delancey  from  New  York,  Mor 
ris  from  Pennsylvania,  Sharp  from  Maryland,  Dinwiddie  from  Virginia, 
with  their  secretaries.  The  rich  planters  came  to  pay  their  respects  to 
the  commander  of  the  king's  troops  and  the  governors.  There  were 
grand  dinner-parties  and  much  ceremony.  General  Braddock  took  Colonel 
Carlyle's  house — the  best  in  Alexandria — for  his  head-quarters.  It  had 
been  built  two  years  before,  in  1753,  of  stone  brought  from  the  Isle  of 
Wight,  in  vessels  that  sailed  to  Virginia  after  tobacco.  Men  whose  names 
are  written  large  in  the  history  of  our  country  came  to  see  General  Brad- 
dock.  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  was  the  king's  deputy-postmaster,  came 
to  make  arrangements  for  sending  letters.  He  knew  more  about  public 
affairs  than  General  Braddock  and  all  the  governors  together.  Horatio 
Gates  came  from  New  York,  to  tender  two  companies  to  General  Brad- 
dock  ;  Richard  Henry  Lee,  captain  of  a  company  of  Virginia  troops,  was 


378 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


there  to  offer  his  services.  Hugh  Mercer  came  with  a  company  of  vol 
unteers  from  Fredericksburg.  Daniel  Morgan,  a  teamster  from  Occo- 
quan,  between  Alexandria  and  Mount  Yernon,  was  there  to  drive  a  wagon. 
He  was  accepted  as  a  teamster,  and  for  doing  something  which  displeased 
Braddock  was  whipped.  General  Braddock  and  all  the  English  officers 
had  a  good  opinion  of  themselves,  but  thought  very  little  of  the  "  provin- 


BRADDOCK  S    HEAD-QUARTERS. 

cials,"  as  they  called-  everybody  who  lived  in  America.  No  provincial 
general  or  colonel,  commissioned  by  the  governor,  could  hold  any  rank 
while  serving  with  the  officers  commissioned  by  the  king.  Colonel  George 
Washington  was  high -spirited  enough  to  resent  such  an  insult,  and  re 
signed  his  commission.  General  Braddock  found  that  he  needed  the  man 
who  knew  all  about  the  Ohio  country,  and  appointed  him  on  his  staff, 
and  the  Governor  of  Virginia  appointed  him  commander  of  the  Virginia 
troops  which  were  to  accompany  Braddock. 

Who  should  pay  for  the  support  of  the  troops — the  king  or  the  colo 
nies?  The  question  had  been  discussed  among  the  king's  ministers  in 
Parliament ;  and  now,  on  the  14th  of  April,  1755,  the  governors,  with  Gen- 


DEFEAT  OF  GENERAL  BRADDOCK. 


379 


eral  Braddock  and  Admiral  Keppel,  meet  in  a  secret  congress  to  discuss 
and  settle  the  question. 

The  king  and  his  ministers  and  Parliament  were  taxing  the  people  of 
the  provinces  in  various  ways ;  the  governors  were  all  getting  rich  by 
plundering  them ;  and  the  Legislatures,  ever  watchful  of  their  rights,  were 
refusing  to  vote  supplies,  when  they  could  have  nothing  to  say  as  to  how 
the  money  was  to  be  expended. 

The  governors  all  sided  with  the  king  and  the  ministers.  It  was  nat 
ural,  for  they  were  all  appointed  by  the  king.  They  resolved  that  the 
king's  ministers  ought  to  find  out  some  method  of  compelling  the  people 
of  America  to  supply  the  troops  under  General  Braddock.  It  was  a  little 
cloud  on  the  horizon,  which  became  a  thunder-gust  in  after  years. 

The  people  of  Alexandria  had  swung  their  hats  when  Braddock  came, 
but  they  were  heartily  glad  when  his  troops  were  on  their  way  up  the 
Potomac ;  for  there  was  bad  blood  between  his  soldiers,  whose  uniforms 
were  bright  and  new — red  coats  with  buff  facings — and  the  Virginia  sol 
diers,  whose  uniforms  were  home-made,  and  so  short-tailed  that  the  reg 
ulars  called  them  "bobtails."  With  rum  in  abundance,  with  contempt 


WASHINGTON  S    TALK    WITH    BRADDOCK. 


on  the  part  of  the  regulars,  and  a  resenting  of  insult  on  the  part  of  the 
Virginians,  there  were  many  brawls  and  fights. 


380  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

Braddock's  whole  force  was  twenty-one  hundred  men,  including  the 
eight  companies  of  Virginians  under  Washington.  The  English  general 
had  fought  on  European  battle-fields.  He  had  marched  on  smooth  roads, 
but  knew  nothing  of  the  difficulties  of  getting  through  an  American 
wilderness.  He  scorned  advice.  He  was  so  punctilious  and  fussy,  that 
the  army  only  made  five  miles  a  day ;  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  Benja 
min  Franklin,  would  not  have  gotten  on  at  all  for  want  of  wagons  and 
horses,  but  he  obtained  them  from  the  Pennsylvania  farmers. 

The  army  reached  Cumberland  the  first  week  in  June.  General 
Braddock  accepted  Washington's  advice  to  leave  the  heavy  baggage,  and 
move  on  with  twelve  hundred  men  more  rapidly. 

It  was  a  bright  July  morning.  The  army  was-  approaching  Fort 
Du  Quesne ;  ten  miles  more,  and  it  would  be  there.  Proudly  the  soldiers 
moved  along  the  valley  of  the  Monongahela,  wearing  their  bright  red 
uniforms,  their  gun-barrels  and  bayonets  glaring  in  the  sunlight,  drums 
beating,  trumpets  sounding,  and  their  banners  waving.  Lieutenant-col 
onel  Gage,  with  three  hundred  men,  led  the  advance.  He  forded  the 
river,  crossed  a  plain,  and  ascended  a  hill.  Mr.  Gordon  was  in  advance 
of  all,  with  a  company,  marking  out  the  road.  General  Braddock  had  no 
expectation  of  being  attacked.  He  was  to  attack  the  French.  Mr.  Gor 
don  beheld  a  man  wearing  a  gray  hunting-frock  waving  his  hat.  A  sil 
ver  gorget  gleamed  upon  his  breast.  It  was  a  French  officer,  Beaujean, 
who  had  come  out  from  Fort  Du  Quesne  with  two  hundred  and  thirty 
Frenchmen  and  six  hundred  and  thirty  Indians,  to  give  General  Braddock 
a  little  taste  of  fighting  in  the  wilderness  of  America.  From  every  tree 
there  came  a  flash,  and  the  head  of  Gage's  column  melted  away ;  but  the 
English  fired  a  volley,  and  Beaujean  and  thirteen  of  his  men  went  down. 

Gage's  artillerymen  wheeled  two  cannon  into  position,  and  opened 
fire.  The  roar  of  the  cannon  echoed  along  the  river,  frightening  the  In 
dians,  who  started  to  run ;  but  the  French  held  their  ground.  The  In 
dians  came  back,  yelling  the  war-whoop. 

"  Vive  le  Roi !"  shouted  the  French. 

"  Hurrah  for  King  George !"  cried  the  English. 

Lieutenant -colonel  Burton  came  up  with  a  re -enforcement,  but  his 
troops  were  panic-stricken.  General  Braddock  tried  to  rally  his  men. 
They  loaded  and  fired  at  random ;  they  saw  flashes,  puffs  of  smoke,  but 
few  of  the  enemy.  There  was  firing  in  front,  on  both  flanks  and  in  the 
rear,  where  the  Indians  were  shooting  the  horses  of  the  baggage-train. 
The  drivers  fled.  Men  and  officers  were  dropping  all  the  time.  Brad- 
dock  was  trying  to  form  hie  men  in  platoons  and  battalions,  after  the 


DEFEAT  OF  GENERAL  BRADDOCK. 


381 


method  laid  down  in  all  military  books ;  while  the  Virginians,  accustomed 
to  the  wilderness,  sprung  behind  rocks  and  trees,  or  fell  flat  on  the 
ground,  and  watched  their  opportunity  to  put  a  bullet  through  the  head 
of  a  Frenchman  or  Indian.  Braddock  cursed  them  for  not  standing  up 
in  platoons,  and  struck  them  with  his  sword. 

How  preposterous !  Whoever  heard  of  a  battle  being  fought  in  that 
way  from  behind  trees ! 

Captain  Waggener  placed  his  company  of  Virginians  behind  a  fallen 
tree,  which  served  them  for  a  breastwork,  and  poured  a  telling  volley 


THEY  SAW  PUFFS  OF  SMOKE,  BUT  FEW  OF  THE  ENEMY. 


382  OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

upon  the  French,  but  the  next  minute  fifty  of  them  were  killed  by  the 
panic-stricken  British,  who  had  so  lost  their  wits  that  they  took  them 
to  be  Frenchmen.  The  French  and  Indians  aimed  to  pick  off  all  the 
English  officers.  Sir  Peter  Halket,  Braddock's  second  in  command,  fell 
dead.  Shirley,  Braddock's  secretary,  went  down  with  a  bullet  through 
his  breast.  Colonels  Burton,  Gage,  and  Orme,  Major  Spark,  Major  Halket, 
Captain  Morris,  all  were  wounded. 

Washington's  horse  was  killed.  He  mounted  a  second  ;  that,  too,  was 
shot.  A  bullet  went  through  his  coat ;  another,  a  third,  a  fourth ;  but 
his  time  had  not  come  to  die.  God  had  a  great  work  for  him  to  do  for 
the  human  race,  and  this  was  the  beginning. 

All  through  the  afternoon,  from  two  o'clock  to  five,  the  hurly-burly 
went  on — the  English  huddled  in  groups  or  scattered  along  the  narrow 
road,  firing  away  their  ammunition,  seeing  only  now  and  then  a  French 
man  or  Indian.  The  Virginians  alone  were  cool,  watching  their  oppor 
tunity,  and  sending  their  bullets  through  the  skulls  of  the  savages  as  they 
peeped  from  behind  the  trees. 

It  was  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  ;  General  Braddock  had  had  five 
horses  shot  under  him ;  he  was  issuing  an  order  when  a  bullet  struck  him, 
and  he  fell  upon  the  ground.  His  troops  threw  aside  their  guns  and 
knapsacks,  then  fled  like  a  herd  of  frightened  sheep.  Washington  tried 
to  stop  them.  He  begged,  threatened,  but  in  vain. 

"Don't  leave  your  general  to  be  scalped!"  shouted  Colonel  Orme. 
"  I'll  give  you  sixty  guineas  to  carry  him  off." 

What  was  Braddock  or  money  to  them  ?  To  escape  was  their  only 
thought.  Captain  Stewart  and  another  Virginian  officer  took  the  wound 
ed  general  in  their  arms  and  bore  him  from  the  field.  All  through  the 
night,  all  the  next  day,  the  English  fled,  the  Virginians  under  Washington 
protecting  the  rear  and  carrying  the  wounded  general. 

The  French  and  Indians  made  no  attempt  at  pursuit ;  they  had  won 
a  great  victory,  and  were  dividing  the  spoil— drinking  the  rum,  eating 
the  bacon,  and  counting  their  scalps  in  savage  glee. 

It  was  Sunday  evening.  The  remnant  of  the  defeated  army  was  at 
Great  Meadows.  Braddock  had  issued  his  orders  up  to  this  time,  but  no 
other  words  had  passed  his  lips.  The  death  pallor  was  settling  over  his 
face.  "  Who  would  have  thought  it  ?  We  shall  know  better  how  to  deal 
with  them  next  time,"  he  said.  They  were  his  last  words ;  a  few  min 
utes,  and  the  heart  ceased  its  beating.  Incapacity,  haughtiness,  pride,  con 
tempt  of  advice,  had  resulted  in  defeat  and  disaster. 

Governor  Shirley,  of  Massachusetts,  was  at  Oswego,  in  New  York,  in- 


DEFEAT  OF  GENERAL  BRADDOCK. 


383 


tending  to  capture  Niagara;  but  the  news  of  the  defeat  of  Braddock  so 
disheartened  his  men  and  upset  all  his  plans,  that  he  did  not  make  the 
attempt. 

Another  expedition,  under  General  Johnson,  started  from  Albany  to 
capture  Crown  Point. 

The  troops  were  mostly  from  New  England.     The  news  of  the  dis- 


BRADDOCKS    GRAVE. 


aster  to  Braddock,  instead  of  dispiriting  them,  only  made  them  more 
resolute.  One  of  the  regiments  was  from  New  Hampshire,  commanded 
by  Colonel  Blanchard.  One  of  the  companies  of  the  regiment  was 
called  the  "  Rangers."  The  soldiers  had  rifles,  and  wore  green  frocks. 
They  were  commanded  by  Robert  Rogers.  John  Stark  was  lieutenant. 
They  built  a  fort  on  the  Hudson,  which  they  named  Fort  Edward. 

General  Johnson  opened  a  road  from  the  Hudson  to  Lake  St.  Sacra- 


384 


OLD   TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


merit.     Johnson  hated  the  name  given  by  the  Jesuits,  and  changed  it  to 
Lake  George,  for  the  King  of  England..    No  French  or  Jesuit  names  fol 


LAKE    GEORGE. 


him.  Two  hundred  ship-carpenters  went  to  work  building  boats,  in  which 
he  intended  to  go  down  the  lake,  making  his  way  to  Ticonderoga,  where 
he  would  build  a  fort  which  would  command  both  lakes,  and  be  a  barrier 
in  the  path  of  the  French.  He  had  thirty -four  hundred  men.  Hen- 
drick,  the  Mohawk  chief,  joined  him  with  two  hundred  warriors.  Genera] 
Johnson's  son,  Thayendanegea,  or  Joseph  Brant,  or  "  Bundle  of  Sticks," 
whose  mother  was  one  of  Johnson's  Indian  wives,  accompanied  his  father, 
although  he  was  only  thirteen  years  old. 

Scouts  brought  word  that  the  French  were  already  building  a  fort  at 
Ticonderoga.  Baron  Dieskau,  the  commander,  was  quick  to  act. 

"  Boldness  wins,"  was  Dieskau's  motto. 

Sometimes  it  does,  sometimes  it  does  not.  He  conceived  a  bold  plan, 
that  of  marching  past  Johnson,  capturing  Fort  Edward,  and  falling  upon 
Albany.  He  had  nine  hundred  French  and  six  hundred  Indians.  Such 
a  move  would  cut  off  Johnson,  and  carry  consternation  to  the  English 
everywhere.  The  Indians  did  not  like  to  attack  forts ;  they  were  afraid 


DEFEAT  OF  GENERAL  BRADDOCK. 


385 


of  cannon,  and  urged  Dieskau  to  attack  Johnson,  who  was  encamped  on 
the  shore  of  the  lake. 

"The  French  are  going  to  attack  Fort  Edward,"  was  the  word 
brought  by  scouts. 

General  Johnson  called  a  council  of  war,  proposing  to  send  one  thou 
sand  troops  under  Colonel  Williams  to  meet  Dieskau. 


JOSEPH    BRANT. 


"  What  do  you  think  ?"  he  asked  of  the  chief  of  the  Mohawks. 

"  If  they  are  to  fight,  they  are  too  few ;  if  to  be  killed,  too  many,"  said 
Hendrick. 

Notwithstanding  the  advice,  General  Johnson  ordered  Colonel  Wil 
liams  to  march.     He  was  a  brave  officer.     He  had  made  his  will  when  he 
was  at  Albany,  bequeathing  his  property  for  the  founding  of  a  school,  the 
beginning  of  Williams  College. 
25 


386 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


SUt    WILLIAM    JOIIXSOX. 


Four  miles  out  from  Johnson's  camp  there  was  a  swamp  on  one  side 
of  the  road,  and  a  low  ridge  on  the  other. 
The  trees  were  tall,  and  the  underbrush  very 
thick. 

What  a  place  for  an  ambush !  Dieskau 
posted  his  men,  where  they  could  sweep  the 
road  with  their  fire.  The  Indians  threw  them 
selves  on  their  faces,  or  crouched  behind  the 
I  rees. 

Into  the  trap  marched  the  Mohawks — Hen- 
;lrick  in  advance. 

Nearly  a  century  and  a  half  had   passed 
since  that  battle  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  a  few 
miles  further  north,  between  the  Iroquois  and 
Algonquins — in  which  Samuel  Champlain  took 
part ;  and  the  enmity  between  the  Indians  was  still  the  same. 

Colonel  Williams,  Lieutenant  Whiting,  and  Lieutenant  Israel  Putnam, 
with  the  Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire,  and  Connecticut  troops,  were 
just  behind. 

A  gun  flashed,  and  the  old  Mohawk  chief — ever  the  friend  of  the  Eng 
lish — fell  dead.     The  swamp  and  low  ridge  were  aflame.     The  Mohawks 
fled.        Colonel     Williams    was      shot. 
Though    the    backwoodsmen    of    New 
England  were  confronted  by  troops  who 
had  fought  on  the  battle-fields  of  France, 
they  fought  bravely,  retreating  in  good 
order  to  the  lake. 

Boldness  wins!  Baron  Dieskau  had 
won  one  victory,  and  would  quickly  make 
an  end  of  the  English. 

Johnson's  troops  were  hard  at  work. 
They  were  all  wood  -  choppers,  and  the 
trees  were  falling  beneath  their  blows 
for  a  breastwork.  The  artillerymen 
were  dragging  the  cannon  up  from  the 
ships  and  putting  them  in  position. 

It   was   half -past   eleven,  when   the 
English    saw    beneath    the    boughs    of 
the  trees  the  white  uniforms  of  the  French,  who  came  on  in  platoons, 
firing  volley  after  volley.     The  Canadian  Indians  poured  in  a  rattling  fire 


HENDRICK. 


DEFEAT  OF  GENERAL  BRADDOCK.  387 

from  behind  the  trees,  but  were  terribly  frightened  when  Johnson's  can 
non  began  to  thunder,  and  fled  to  a  safe  distance. 

"  Cowards  !"  cried  Dieskau  ;  but  that  did  not  make  them  brave. 

The  Mohawks  had  also  skulked  to  the  rear,  but  they  took  heart  and 
returned.  Johnson  was  slightly  wounded  at  the  beginning  of  the  battle, 
and  went  to  his  tent,  leaving  General  Lyrnan,  of  Connecticut,  to  com 
mand  the  troops.  He  was  a  brave,  cool-headed  man,  and  his  men  were  as 
brave  as  he. 

"  They  fight  like  devils !"  said  Dieskau.  A  bullet  struck  him,  but  he 
would  not  leave  the  field.  Boldness  wins !  he  would  fight  on.  St.  Pierre, 
his  next  officer,  was  killed.  Another  bullet  strikes  Dieskau  ;  a  third  ;  but 
he  will  not  leave  the  field.  He  sits  upon  a  stump  and  coolly  gives  his 
orders. 

The  September  sun  wheels  down  the  west.  For  five  hours  the  battle 
goes  on.  The  strength  of  the  French  is  failing.  The  men  of  New  Eng 
land,  defeated  in  the  morning,  can  restrain  themselves  no  longer.  They 
leap  over  the  barricade,  fall  upon  the  French,  and  strike  them  down  with 
the  butts  of  their  guns,  putting  them  to  rout. 

Seth  Pomeroy,  of  Connecticut,  comes  upon  Dieskau,  who  sits  upon  a 
stump,  unable  to  move.  Pomeroy  does  not  understand  French,  nor  Dies 
kau  English.  The  French  general  puts  his  hand  in  his  pocket  to  pull  out 
his  watch  to  present  to  his  captor.  Pomeroy  thinks  he  is  drawing  a 
pistol,  and  fires,  wounding  the  brave  Frenchman  once  more ;  but  he  is 
kindly  cared  for  by  the  surgeons,  and  lives  to  reach  England. 

The  French  and  Indians  flee.  General  Lyman  begs  Johnson  to  let 
him  follow  on  and  finish  them ;  but  Johnson  will  not  permit  him.  He 
is  afraid  of  a  trap  somewhere.  But  Captain  McGuinnes,  with  two  hun 
dred  men  from  New  Hampshire,  has  heard  the  firing  at  Fort  Edward,  and 
is  hastening  through  the  woods.  He  meets  the  fleeing  French,  and  the 
battle  begins  again.  McGuinnes  is  killed;  but  his  men  avenge  his  death 
by  putting  the  enemy  once  more  to  rout. 

The  sun  goes  down.  Three  battles  have  been  fought  between  the 
trained  troops  of  France  and  their  Indian  allies  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
men  of  New  England,  who  have  left  their  harvest-fields  to  become  sol 
diers.  Nearly  four  hundred  of  their  number  have  fallen  ;  but  they  have 
retrieved  the  disaster  of  the  morning,  and  are  victors  on  the  field.  The 
French  have  lost  nearly  half  their  number. 

General  Johnson  has  had  little  to  do  with  winning  the  victory,  but  he 
reaps  all  the  honors.  The  king  makes  him  a  baronet,  and  presents  him 
with  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  General  Lyman,  the  brave,  cool-head- 


388  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

ed  man,  who  has  directed  affairs,  gets  nothing,  and  Johnson  makes  little 
mention  of  his  services. 

George  II.  and  his  ministers — the  Dukes  of  Cumberland,  Newcastle, 
Devonshire,  and  Bedford — opinionated,  incompetent  men,  who  were  mis 
managing  the  affairs  of  England,  rejoiced  when  they  heard  of  the  victory ; 
but  they  were  not  far-sighted  enough  to  see  what  would  be  its  influence 
— how  it  would  lead  the  people  in  America  to  draw  contrasts ;  that  by 
every  fireside  men  would  talk  about  the  arrogance,  haughtiness,  and  in- 
competency  of  British  officers  and  soldiers — defeated  on  the  banks  of  the 
Monongahela,  Braddock's  army  saved  by  the  coolness  and  bravery  of  the 
young  Virginian  colonel  and  his  soldiers;  how  the  veteran  soldiers  of 
France  and  the  Indians  of  Canada  had  been  beaten  by  the  men  of  New 
England  and  New  York,  and  not  a  British  soldier  or  officer  present  to 
help  or  hinder. 

"We  can  manage  our  own  affairs,  and  fight  our  own  battles,"  was  the 
conclusion  thev  arrived  at. 


THE  EMPEROR  OF  AUSTRIA'S  WILL. 


389 


CHAPTEE  XXXIII. 

THE  EMPEROR  OF  AUSTRIA'S  WILL. 

IV.,  Emperor  of  Austria,  made  his  will,  giving  his  empire 
to  Maria  Theresa,  Queen  of  Hungary ;  but  no  sooner  was  the  breath 
out  of  his  body  than  a  pack  of  hungry  princes  set  themselves  to  get  pos 
session  of  portions  of  the  territory,  and  in  a  short  time  all  Europe  was  at 


SITE    OF    FORT    NUMBER    FOUR. 


war.  It  was  a  turmoil  that  reached  eastward  to  the  Ganges  in  India, 
and  westward  to  the  Hudson.  Men  were  hacked  to  pieces  by  the  sword 
on  the  plains  of  India,  while  the  Indians  of  America  buried  their  toma 
hawks  in  the  skulls  of  men,  women,  and  children  on  the  banks  of  the 
Merrimac  and  Connecticut,  in  consequence  of  that  act. 


390 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


"War  was  declared  by  France  against  Great  Britain  March  15th,  1744. 
The  King  of  France  sent  a  vessel  across  the  Atlantic  with  orders  to  Gen 
eral  Du  Yivier  at  Louisburg,  Cape  Breton,  to  strike  a  blow  upon  the  Eng 
lish.  Du  Yivier  was  quick  to  act.  He  sailed  from  Louisburg  on  the  15th 
of  May  with  one  thousand  men,  and  captured  the  English  fort  at  Canso, 
and  its  garrison  of  eighty  men.  He  sent  the  prisoners  to  Boston.  Not 
till  the  vessel  bringing  the  prisoners  entered  the  harbor  did  anybody 
know  that  war  had  begun. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  all  the  Indians  east  of  the  Hudson, 
except  the  Stockbridge  tribe  in  Massachusetts,  hastened  to  Canada  to  join 
the  French. 

On  April  17th,  1744,  they  struck  their  first  blow  at  Gorham,  in  Maine, 
killing  Mr.  Bryant  and  several  others.  Another  party  killed  Josiah  Bishop 
in  Boscawen,  New  Hampshire,  on  the  Merrimac.  Another  party  swept 
down  the  Connecticut  to  Charlestown,  New  Hampshire,  to  Fort  Number 
Four,  captured  three  men,  took  them  to  Canada,  and  sold  them  as  slaves. 
No  huntsman  could  go  for  beaver  or  deer  now  with  safety.  Indians 
were  sure  to  be  following  stealthily  upon  their  trail,  to  shoot  them  down 
and  take  their  scalps. 

On  the  eastern  shore  of  Cape  Breton,  looking  toward  Newfoundland, 
was  the  great  and  strong  fortress  of  Louisburg,  which  for  thirty  years  the 


CAPE    BRETON. 


French  had  been  building.  The  walls  were  thirty  feet  high,  built  of 
stone.  There  were  six  bastions,  with  platforms  for  one  hundred  and 
eighty  cannon.  Outside  the  walls  was  a  ditch  eighty  feet  wide.  On  an 
island  was  a  battery  of  thirty  cannon  ;  and  there  was  still  another  fortifi 
cation,  called  the  Royal  Battery,  with  thirty  more  cannon. 


THE  EMPEROR  OF  AUSTRIA'S  WILL. 


393 


Beneath  the  guns  of  the  fortress  the  vessels  of  the  French  could  find 
protection  and  shelter,  or  sail  out  to  capture  the  fishermen  of  New  Eng 
land,  or  to  harass  and  ravage  the  New  England  coast.  France  had  erected 
it  to  command  the  entrance  to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  protect  New 
France  from  hostile  fleets. 

Benning  Wentworth,  Governor  of  New  Hampshire,  lived  at  Little  Har- 


GOVERNOR  BENNING  WENTWORTH. 

bor,  near  Portsmouth,  in  a  spacious  mansion  that  contained  more  than  fifty 
rooms.  One  of  his  neighbors,  Colonel  Vaughan,  unfolded  to  him  a  grand 
project — the  capture  of  Louisburg.  "  It  can  be  done !"  said  the  colonel. 

Governor  Wentworth  was  so  interested  in  the  plan,  that  he  sent  him 
to  Boston  to  confer  with  Governor  Shirley,  who  saw  what  a  grand  idea 

it  was,  and  laid  the  matter  before  the  General  Court. 

13* 


394 


OLD  TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 


"I  propose  that  we  send  four  thousand  soldiers  to  capture  Louisburg, 
and  I  ask  you  to  keep  the  matter  secret,"  he  said  to  the  members. 

The  members  were  astonished.  What  chance  would  four  thousand 
men  have  against  such  a  fortress,  with  French  frigates  in  the  harbor? 
Not  any.  It  could  not  be  done  ;  we  cannot  think  of  it,  was  the  decis 
ion.  The  members  alone  held  the  great  secret ;  but  one  of  them  unwit 
tingly  made  it  known  while  he  was  praying  one  morning  with  his 
family. 

"  Let  thy  wisdom,  Lord,  guide  us  in  the  proposed  great  undertaking !" 
was  his  prayer. 

What  did  he  mean?  What  was  the  great  undertaking?  Perhaps  his 
wife  wormed  the  secret  out  of  him ;  at  any  rate,  a  few  days  later,  it  was 
known  that  the  governor  had  proposed  to  send  an  army  to  capture  Louis- 
burg,  and  that  the  General  Court  had  refused  to  entertain  the  project. 
Capture  Louisburg!  The  people  caught  the  great  idea. 

"Let  it  be  done!"  urged  the  men  of  Marblehead,  Salem,  and  Boston, 
sending  letters  to  urge  on  the  project. 

"We  will  do  it!"  said  the  members  of  the  General  Court,  deciding  the 


WENTWORTH    HOUSE,   LITTLE    HARBOR. 

matter  by  a  single  vote  in  the  majority.  A  single  vote  does  great  things 
sometimes. 

"  I  desire  the  assistance  of  your  fleet,"  was  Governor  Shirley's  mes 
sage  to  Admiral  Warren  in  the  West  Indies. 

"We  will  send  five  hundred  men,"  responded  the  Legislature  of  Con 
necticut. 


THE  EMPEROR  OF  AUSTRIA'S  WILL. 


395 


"  We  will  send  three  hundred,"  was  the  word  from  New  Hampshire  ; 
and  Rhode  Island  promised  the  same  number.     Who  should  command  ? 
In  all  New  England  there  was  not  an  officer  who  had  seen  fighting, 


SIR  WILLIAM  PEPPERELL'S  HOUSE. 

except  with  the  Indians.  William  Pepperell,  of  Kitterj,  had  some  excel 
lent  qualifications  for  a  commander,  for  he  was  cool,  self-reliant,  and  had 
made  his  mark  as  one  able  to  win  success.  His  father  came,  a  poor  boy, 
from  England  to  the  Isles  of  Shoals,  and  made  money  catching  fish.  He 
settled  at  Kittery.  William  had  built  ships,  and  sent  them  to  Europe 
and  the  West  Indies.  He  had  sent  to  London  for  law-books,  and  was 
studying  law.  He  was  colonel  of  a  regiment,  and  kept  a  sharp  eye  on 
the  Indians.  In  all  that  he  had  undertaken  he  had  succeeded ;  and  he 
was  so  much  respected,  and  people  had  such  faith  in  him,  that  Governor 
Shirley  appointed  him  commander. 

"I  am  not  capable  of  taking  command,"  said  Pepperell. 

"As  thy  day  is,  so  shall  thy  strength  be!"  answered  George  White- 
field,  the  great  preacher,  urging  him  on. 

"Nil  desperandum,  Christo  duce"  was  the  motto  which  Whitefield 
gave,  to  be  placed  upon  his  flag. 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

In  less  than  two  months  all  was  ready,  so  great  was  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  people.  On  the  1st  of  April  a  fleet  of  nearly  one  hundred  ves 
sels  sailed  out  of  Boston  harbor  and  steered  eastward.  Admiral  Warren 
came  with  five  vessels,  carrying  sixty  guns  each,  and  six  frigates. 

Great  the  consternation  at  Louisburg  on  the  29th  of  April,  1745, 
when  the  French  saw  one  hundred  and  twenty  vessels  in  the  harbor,  and 
thousands  of  soldiers  landing  in  boats  on  the  beach.  Near  the  Royal 
Battery  was  a  long  row  of  houses  filled  with  barrels  of  pitch,  tar,  and 
oakum.  Colonel  Vaughan,  of  New  Hampshire,  with  four  hundred  men, 
when  night  came  on,  crept  up  to  the  houses  and  set  them  on  fire,  which 
so  frightened  the  Frenchmen  holding  the  battery  that  they  fled  into  the 
fortress,  leaving  all  the  cannon  and  ammunition. 

"  By  the  grace  of  God  and  the  courage  of  thirteen  men,  I  entered  the 
Royal  Battery  about  nine  o'clock,  and  am  waiting  for  re-enforcements  and 
a  flag,"  was  the  note  which  Colonel  Yaughan  wrote  to  General  Pepperell. 

Now  came  the  hard  work — the  lifting  of  heavy  cannon  into  boats, 
landing  them  on  the  beach,  dragging  them  on  sledges  through  the  shal 
lows,  wading  up  to  their  knees  in  half-frozen  mud — working  from  dark 
till  sunrise,  so  that  the  French  should  not  discover  what  was  going  on. 

Colonel  Gorham  attempted  to  take  the  battery  on  the  island ;  but  the 


NAVY-YARD,  KITTERY,  MAINE. 


wind  was  blowing  a  gale,  some  of  the  boats  were  swamped,  and  one  hun. 
dred  and  seventy  men  were  lost. 

A  French  war-vessel,  with  sixty-four  guns  and  ammunition,  came  sail- 


THE  EMPEROR   OF  AUSTRIA'S  WILL. 


397 


SIR    WILLIAM   PEPPERELL. 


ing  into  the  harbor,  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  Admiral  Warren.  But 
day  after  day,  night  after  night,  the  work  of  the  siege  went  on.  Sickness 
broke  out ;  many  soldiers  died ;  but  no 
one  faltered.  Great  was  the  joy  of 
the  New  Englanders  when  they  dis 
covered  some  cannon  which  the  French 
had  buried.  Colonel  Gridly  soon  had 
them  in  position,  and  the  cannonade 
began — the  solid  shot  banging  against 
the  stone  walls,  grinding  the  granite 
to  powder,  splitting  it  and  making 
great  gaps,  and  dismounting  the  can 
non.  The  French  commander  was 
brave ;  but,  seeing  how  it  must  end, 
hung  out  a  white  flag,  and  on  June 
17th  the  great  fortress,  with  all  its  can 
non  and  nineteen  hundred  soldiers,  sur 
rendered  to  the  ship-builder  of  Kittery, 
and  the  brave  men  who,  with  undaunt 
ed  enthusiasm,  had  obeyed  his  orders. 

At  daybreak  on  Tuesday,  July  2d,  1745,  Captain  Bennett  reached 
Boston  with  the  news.  Never  was  there  such  rejoicing — bells  ringing, 
cannon  thundering  at  Castle  William,  at  the  north  and  south  batteries; 
bonfires  on  the  Common,  tents  spread,  casks  of  wine  tapped ;  at  night  can 
dles  in  every  window,  and  rockets  streaming  up  the  sky ! 

"  Before  sunrise  the  streets  were  as  thick  with  people  as  on  election- 
day,  and  we  had  the  finest  illumination  I  ever  beheld  with  my  eyes," 
wrote  Rev.  Mr.  Chauncy  to  Governor  Pepperell. 

At  Portsmouth,  Salem,  Newport,  New  York,  and  Philadelphia  the  re 
joicings  were  as  great ;  and  when  the  news  reached  England  the  guns  in 
the  Park  and  Tower  thundered,  and  there  was  a  jubilee  all  over  the  land. 
During  the  war,  which  lasted  for  years,  the  English  won  no  other  victory 
like  it. 

Who  were  the  men  that  did  it  ?  "  They  were  not,"  said  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Chauncy,  in  the  sermon  which  he  preached — "  they  were  not  the  scum  of 
the  land,  idle,  worthless  creatures,  but  men  who  feared  God,  who  feared 
an  oath — men  of  life  and  spirit !" 

The  Governors  of  New  York  and  Massachusetts  met  the  Iroquois  In 
dians  in  council,  gave  them  presents,  and  sent  them  and  the  Stockbridge 
Indians  against  the  Canadians.  Parties  of  Mohawks  captured  prisoners 


398 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


under  the  walls  of  Crown  Point,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 
So  the  bloody  trail  lengthened  and  widened  year  after  year. 

General  Rigaud  Vaudreuil,  with  eight  hundred  French  and  Indians, 
appeared  before  Fort  Massachusetts,  in  which  there  were  only  twenty-two 
men,  three  women,  and  five  children.  Half  of  the  men  were  sick.  They 
had  only  four  pounds  of  powder.  The  garrison  saw  that  they  could 
make  but  a  feeble  resistance  against  such  odds,  and  were  obliged  to  sur 
render. 

But  not  so  successful  were  the  French  and  Indians  at  Number  Four, 


- 


STOCKBRIDGE. 


which  the  Indians  tried  many  times  to  capture,  but  never  succeeded, 
Captain   Phineas  Stevens,  who  commanded  it,  was  ever  on   the  watch, 


GUARDING    THEIR    WIVES    AND    CHILDREN 


THE  EMPEROR  OF  AUSTRIA'S  WILL.  £0] 

He  had  a  number  of  dogs,  which  always  let  him  know  when  the  Indians 
were  near. 

The  settlers  were  on  the  lookout.  On  Sunday  the  men  went  to  meet 
ing  with  their  guns,  guarding  their  wives  and  children. 

On  June  19th,  1746,  Captain  Stevens  went  out  with  fifty  men  to  work 
in  the  field.  He  sent  his  dogs  into  the  woods,  which  soon  came  back  with 
their  hair  on  end,  and  growling. 

"  There  are  Indians  about,  and  they  will  ambush  us  at  the  causeway 
yonder,"  said  Captain  Stevens.  He  sent  a  soldier  ahead  to  reconnoitre, 
who  discovered  an  Indian,  and  fired  upon  him.  Instantly  the  woods  were 
full  of  Indians.  The  fight  began.  Stevens's  men  leaped  behind  the 
trees.  They  killed  twelve  savages,  and  drove  the  others  into  a  swamp, 
compelling  them  to  flee.  They  left  blankets,  swords,  and  hatchets,  in  their 
haste  to  get  away.  None  of  the  English  were  killed,  and  only  seven 
wounded. 

The  next  year  several  hundred  French  and  Indians,  under  Debleine, 
attempted  once  more  to  take  Number  Four.  They  besieged  it  several 
days,  watching  in  the  woods  for  the  English  to  show  themselves,  but  the 
latter  kept  under  cover. 

"  Burn  the  fort !"  was  the  order  of  the  French  commander — an  order 
more  easily  given  than  executed.  The  Indians  tried  to  carry  it  out  by 
smearing  arrows  with  pitch,  and  shooting  a  flaming  torch  against  the 
walls;  but  the  women  brought  buckets  of  water,  and  the  soldiers  put 
out  a  fire  as  soon  as  it  was  kindled. 

The  Indians  piled  a  cart  with  fagots,  run  out  long  poles  in  front, 
with  pitch-knots  at  the  end,  all  aflame;  but  Captain  Stevens,  anticipating 
such  a  mode  of  attack,  had  dug  a  trench  around  the  fort  with  passages 
leading  to  it,  and  the  soldiers,  creeping  through  with  buckets  of  water, 
extinguished  the  fagots. 

"You  shall  have  good  quarters,  and  safe-conduct  to  Montreal,  if  you 
«vill  surrender,"  was  the  message  sent  in  by  Debleine  by  a  flag. 

"I  don't  want  any  safe-conduct  to  Montreal;  I  shall  hold  the  fort!" 
was  the  reply. 

Debleine,  having  no  cannon,  and  finding  that  he  could  not  frighten 
the  sturdy  defender,  went  back  to  Canada,  much  chagrined  at  his  failure. 
The  brave  defence  caused  great  rejoicing,  and  Sir  Charles  Knowles,  com 
mander  of  the  British  fleet  in  Boston  harbor,  made  Captain  Stevens  a 
present  of  a  silver-hilted  sword,  in  appreciation  of  what  he  had  done. 
What  brave  boys  and  girls  there  were  in  those  days  I 

Jacob  Ames  lived  in  Groton,  Massachusetts.     He  went  out  one  morn- 
26 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

ing  to  catch  his  horse,  and  saw  an  Indian.  He  ran  back  to  his  house,  and 
the  Indian  after  him.  His  hand  was  upon  the  latch,  the  door  partly 
open,  when  the  Indian  shot  him.  He  fell  across  the  threshold.  Mr. 
Ames's  son  seized  his  gun  and  fired  at  the  Indian,  slightly  wounding 
him.  The  Indian  was  half-way  in  the  house,  when  the  boy  slammed  the 
door  against  him,  giving  the  savage  a  tight  squeezing.  His  sister  sprung 
to  help  him. 

"  Give  me  father's  gun !"  shouted  the  boy.  His  sister  handed  it  to 
him,  and  he  brought  the  breach  down  upon  the  Indian's  foot  with  a 
whack  that  made  him  yell  with  pain  and  back  out  of  the  door. 

Beautiful  the  green  meadows,  the  surrounding  hills,  and  the  distant 
mountains  forming  the  landscape  in  Wai  pole,  New  Hampshire,  which 
Colonel  Benjamin  Bellows  and  John  Kilburn  gazed  upon  on  the  banks 
of  the  Connecticut  River  in  1749.  They  had  built  their  log-houses  with 
loop-holes  in  the  walls,  through  which  they  could  fire  upon  the  Indians 
in  case  they  were  attacked. 

Though  peace  had  been  agreed  upon  between  France  and  England, 
the  people  who  lived  along  the  frontier  felt  no  security,  for  the  French  in 
Canada  were  continually  urging  the  Indians  to  commit  depredations  on 
the  English.  It  was  a  short  and  easy  journey  from  Crown  Point,  on 
Lake  Champlain,  to  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut,  and  the  Indians,  who 
sold  their  furs  to  the  French,  were  frequent  visitors  to  the  settlements 
along  the  Connecticut. 

One  of  the  Indians  who  visited  John  Kilburn  was  called  Captain 
Philip.  He  had  been  baptized  and  christened  by  the  Jesuit  priest  at  the 
Indian  village  of  St.  Francis,  on  the  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  half-way 
from  Montreal  to  Quebec.  The  St.  Francis  tribe  were  called  Christian 
Indians.  There  were  rumors  that  war  would  break  out  again  between 
England  and  France,  and  before  war  was  declared  hostilities  began. 

In  the  spring  of  1755,  Captain  Philip  made  a  visit  to  John  Kilburn's 
house  with  some  beaver-skins  for  sale.  He  wanted  powder,  bullets,  and  flint 
for  pay.  August  came.  The  settlers  heard  that  war  had  begun,  and  knew 
that  the  French  and  Indians  might  be  upon  them  at  any  moment.  They 
strengthened  their  block-houses.  No  one  went  into  the  field  to  work 
alone.  They  always  carried  their  guns  with  them.  They  had  some  faith 
ful  watch-dogs,  which  always  growled  when  Indians  were  about.  There 
were  nearly  forty  men  in  the  settlement.  They  appointed  Colonel  Bel 
lows  their  leader.  He  had  a  suspicion  that  they  might  be  attacked. 
"  We  must  have  a  supply  of  meal,  so  that  in  case  we  are  attacked  we  shall 
have  something  to  eat,"  he  said. 


THE   EMPEROR  OF  AUSTRIA'S  WILL.  403 

The  settlers  filled  each  a  bag  with  corn,  shouldered  it,  and  then,  in 
single  file,  each  man  carrying  his  gun,  they  marched  to  the  grist-mill 
which  they  had  erected,  ground  the  corn  into  meal,  shouldered  the  sacks 
once  more,  and  started  homeward,  their  faithful  watch-dogs  trotting  in  ad 
vance,  paying  no  attention  to  squirrels  or  partridges,  or  game  of  that  sort. 
Suddenly  the  dogs  came  back  growling,  the  hair  on  their  backs  in  a  ruff. 

"  There  are  Indians  about.  Throw  down  your  sacks !"  said  Colonel 
Bellows.  The  men  threw  their  sacks  on  the  ground,  dropped  into  the 
ferns,  and  looked  to  the  priming  of  their  guns.  The  ferns  were  tall,  and 
completely  concealed  them.  Colonel  Bellows  suspected  that  the  Indians 
had  laid  an  ambuscade  in  the  path  which  they  must  pass.  He  crept 
slowly  forward  to  see  what  he  could  discover,  careful  not  to  break  a  twig 
or  make  any  noise.  He  reached  the  top  of  a  little  hill,  peeped  through 
the  ferns,  and  discovered  a  great  number  of  Indians,  nearly  two  hundred, 
crowding  behind  trees  or  lying  on  the  ground,  waiting  for  the  white  man 
to  enter  the  trap.  He  made  his  way  back  to  his  men,  issued  his  orders  in 
a  whisper,  and  all  crowded  through  the  ferns  toward  the  Indians  till  they 
were  only  a  few  rods  from  them. 

All  were  ready.  Every  man  sprung  to  his  feet  and  yelled,  as  loud  as 
he  could,  "Hi — ya — !  Hi — ya — !"  It  was  a  terrible  howl.  The  next 
moment  not  a  settler  was  to  be  seen  ;  all  had  dropped  upon  the  ground 
and  were  concealed  by  the  ferns.  In  an  instant  every  Indian  was  on  his 
feet,  just  as  Colonel  Bellows  expected,  not  knowing  what  to  make  of  it, 
firing  their  guns,  but  hitting  nobody.  There  was  an  answering  flash  from 
the  ferns,  each  settler  taking  aim ;  and  the  Indians  leaped  into  the  air,  or 
fell  headlong  before  the  bullets. 

The  red  men  outnumbered  the  settlers  five  to  one,  but  were  so  as 
tounded  by  the  surprise  that,  picking  up  the  wounded, they  made  a  hasty 
retreat  into  a  swamp,  and  the  settlers  ran  to  their  block-houses,  anticipat 
ing  an  attack.  Not  one  of  them  had  been  injured. 

Captain  Philip,  with  another  party  of  Indians,  was  creeping  stealthily 
through  the  woods  toward  John  Kilburn's  house.  Mr.  Kilburn  and  his 
son  John,  Mr.  Pike  and  his  son,  were  out  in  the  field  reaping  wheat, 
their  guns  close  at  hand.  Mr.  Kilburn  had  trained  his  dog  to  scour  the 
woods,  and  the  faithful  animal  ever  had  his  eyes  and  ears  open,  and  was 
sniffing  the  wind  if  a  wolf  or  bear  was  about.  On  this  afternoon  in 
August  the  dog  carne  running  in  with  his  hair  in  a  ruff,  and  growling. 

"Indians!"  said  Mr.  Kilburn.  The  men  and  boys  seized  their  guns, 
ran  for  the  house,  and  had  just  time  to  get  inside  and  bar  the  door,  when 
Captain  Philip  and  nearly  two  hundred  Indians  made  their  appearance. 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

The  Indians  stand  at  a  safe  distance,  and  so  did  Captain  Philip,  though 
he  came  out  near  enough  to  talk. 

"Come  out,  old  John!     Come  out,  young  John!     [  give  you  good 

quarter !"  he  shouted. 

There  were  only  two  men,  the  two  boys,  Mrs.  Kilburn,  and  her  daugh 
ter,  in  the  house,  with  three  hundred  Indians  attacking  them ;  but  John 
Kilburn  was  not  in  the  least  frightened.  Neither  was  Mrs.  Kilburn,  nor 
her  son  or  daughter.  They  had  several  guns  extra.  Mrs.  Kilburn  and 
her  daughter  knew  how  to  load  them,  and  they  would  rather  die  than  be 
taken  prisoners.  The  Indians  had  no  cannon,  and  their  bullets  would  not 
go  through  the  stout  timbers.  Only  by  burning  the  house  would  they 
be  able  to  get  in. 

"  Get  you  gone,  you  rascals,  or  I'll  quarter  you !"  was  the  defiant  an 
swer  which  John  Kilburn  shouted  through  one  of  the  loop-holes  to  Cap 
tain  Philip,  who  went  back  to  the  dark  crowd  of  savages,  who  set  up  the 
war-whoop. 

"They  yell  like  so  many  devils!"  said  John  Kilburn ;  but  he  was  not 
in  the  least  disturbed  by  the  howling. 

Then  the  bullets  began  to  come  through  the  shingles  on  the  roof  and 
strike  against  the  timbers.  The  Indians  surrounded  the  house ;  but  there 
were  loop-holes  on  each  side.  Mr.  Kilburn  and  Mr.  Pike  took  two  of  the 
sides, and  the  two  boys  the. others.  Bang!  bang!  went  the  guns  of  Mr. 
Kilburn  and  Mr.  Pike.  Bang !  bang !  went  the  boys'  guns.  They  could 
fire  at  a  rest,  and  take  deliberate  aim.  The  Indians  could  not  see  the 
muzzles  of  the  guns,  and  the  moment  one  of  the  red  men  peeped  from  be 
hind  a  tree  his  skull  was  in  danger.  One  by  one  they  fell,  which  enraged 
them  all  the  more ;  and  they  crept  nearer,  firing  rapidly,  riddling  the  shin 
gles,  hoping,  quite  likely,  that  a  bullet  might  glance  down  from  the  roof 
and  hit  those  inside.  "  The  roof  looks  like  a  sieve,"  said  John  Kilburn, 
as  he  saw  the  holes.  Mrs.  Kilburn  and  her  daughter  were  loading  the 
extra  guns  the  while,  and  handing  them  to  the  men  and  boys,  who  kept 
up  such  a  rapid  fire  that  the  Indians  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there 
were  large  numbers  of  men  in  the  house.  "We  shall  soon  be  out  of  bul 
lets,"  said  Mrs.  Kilburn. 

A  thought  catne.  Why  not  catch  the  bullets  that  were  coming 
through  the  roof?  The  balls  had  nearly  spent  their  force  when  they 
came  through,  and  they  hung  up  a. blanket  with  thick  folds,  which  stop 
ped  them  entirely ;  and  the  girl,  gathering  them  as  they  fell  harmlessly 
upon  the  floor,  put  them  into  a  ladle,  melted  them,  and  run  new  bullets, 
which  soon  were  whizzing  through  the  air,  and  doing  damage  to  the  enemy0 


THE  EMPEROR  OF  AUSTRIA'S  WILL.  407 

All  through  the  afternoon  the  fight  goes  on,  the  Indians  aiming  at 
the  loop-holes.  One  comes  in  and  inflicts  a  ghastly  wound  in  Mr.  Pike's 
thigh ;  but  the  Indians  do  not  know  it,  and  the  brave  defence  is  kept  up 
until  the  Indians,  foiled  in  all  their  efforts,  set  Mr.  Kilburn's  wheat  on 
fire,  kill  his  cattle,  bury  their  dead  and  slink  away,  not  having  taken  a 
scalp  or  a  prisoner.  They  have  only  wounded  one  man. 

When  everything  goes  well  with  the  Indian,  he  can  be  very  brave ; 
but  when  the  tide  is  against  him,  he  quickly  loses  courage,  and  becomes 
disheartened ;  and  so  Captain  Philip  made  his  way  back  to  Canada,  very 
much  crestfallen  at  the  repulse  received  at  the  hands  of  two  men,  a 
woman,  two  boys,  and  a  brave-hearted  girl. 

Peace  was  patched  up  in  Europe  between  France  and  England  in 
1748 — England  giving  back  to  France  the  strong  fortress  of  Louisburg, 
and  restoring  everything  just  as  it  was  before  the  war. 


408  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


CHAPTER  XXXIY. 

INCOMPETENT  AND   COWARDLY  GENERALS. 

THE  incompetent  Duke  of  Cumberland,  and  the  other  weak  and  feeble 
dukes,  earls,  lords,  and  marquises  composing  the  king's  ministry,  were 
not  only  mismanaging  affairs  in  England,  but  sent  over  men  as  incompe 
tent  as  themselves  to  mismanage  affairs  in  America.  They  sent  the  Earl 
of  Loudoun  to  be  commander-in-chief,  and  Major-general  Abercrombie  to 
command  the  troops  in  the  field.  Loudoun  had  a  long  string  of  titles  to 
his  name,  and  took  pleasure,  when  writing  a  letter,  in  spreading  them  all 
out,  as  a  peacock  spreads  his  tail,  for  his  own  admiration.  Colonel  Brad- 
street  had  been  sent  to  Oswego  with  a  large  amount  of  supplies — pro 
visions  sufficient  to  last  five  thousand  men  six  months,  besides  cannon 
and  other  military  stores. 

"A  French  army  is  getting  ready  to  take  Oswego,"  was  the  informa 
tion  he  gave  upon  his  return. 

A  remarkable  man  had  arrived  in  Canada,  the  Marquis  de  Montcalm, 
forty-four  years  old,  who  had  been  in  the  army  since  he  was  fourteen, 
and  had  seen  a  great  deal  of  fighting  in  Germany  and  Italy,  in  the  war 
brought  about  by  the  determination  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria  to  make 
Maria  Theresa  his  heir.  He  was  quick  to  think,  resolute  to  act,  and  cool- 
headed.  The  King  of  France  had  chosen  one  of  the  best  men  in  all 
France  to  carry  on  the  struggle  in  America.  No  sooner  had  he  landed 
in  Quebec  than  he  made  all  haste  to  Ticonderoga,  to  see  for  himself  the 
situation  of  affairs  on  the  frontier.  While  Loudoun  and  Abercrombie 
were  idling  away  the  bright  days  of  midsummer  at  Albany,  Montcalm 
was  paddling  in  a  canoe  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  tramp 
ing  through  the  woods  to  Ticonderoga,  laying  his  plans.  The  English 
generals  were  asleep,  he  wide  awake.  He  would  strike  a  blow  when 
they  least  expected  it.  He  returned  to  Montreal,  started  three  regiments 
of  French  soldiers  and  a  large  body  of  Canadians  and  Indians  up  the 
St.  Lawrence  in  boats  and  by  land  to  Fort  Frontenac  at  Kingston,  arid 
paddled  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Ontario  to  Oswego. 


INCOMPETENT  AND   COWARDLY  GENERALS. 


409 


There  were 
two  forts  at  Os- 
wego  —  one  on 

o 

each  side  of  the 
river.  Montcalm 
landed  his  can 
non,  mounted 
them  at  night  and 
opened  fire,  com 
pelling  the  rebels 
to  retreat  from 


THE    EXPEDITION. 


410 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


OSWEGO   IN    1755. 


Fort  Oswego,  on  the  east  bank,  to  Fort  Ontario,  on  the  west  bank.  He 
took  possession  of  the  captured  fort,  and  turned  its  guns  upon  Ontario, 
A  cannon-ball  killed  Colonel  Mercer,  the  English  commander;  and  the 

garrison  of  sixteen  hun 
dred  men,  after  losing 
forty  -  five,  surrendered. 
What  a  prize !  All  the 
provisions,  one  hundred 
and  twenty  cannon,  three 
hundred  boats,  six  vessels 
on  the  lake,  three  chests 
filled  with  money ! 

A  week  later  Mont- 
calm  was  back  in  Mont 
real  with  his  army  and  prisoners,  attending  the  Te  Deum  chanted  by 
the  Jesuit  fathers  in  the  churches,  who  erected  a  pillar,  surmounted  with 
the  banner  of  France,  with  this  inscription  : 

"THIS    IS   THE   BANNER    OF    VICTORY;    BRING   LILIES    WITH    FULL    HANDS." 

Lord  Loudoun  had  sent  General  Webb  with  several  thousand  men  up 
the  Mohawk  to  Oswego ;  but  he  moved  so  slow  that  before  he  reached 
Oneida  Montcalm  was  master  of  the  situation  ;  and  Webb,  fearing  that 
the  French  would  be  upon  him,  blocked  the  road  with  trees  and  turned 
back  to  Albany. 

"What  cowards  the  English  are!"  said  the  Oneida,  Seneca,  and  Onon- 
daga  Indians;  "they  are  like  children."  Montcalrn's  victory  dazzled 
them,  and  a  large  number  hastened  to  Mont 
real  to  receive  presents,  promising  to  take 
no  part  in  the  struggle. 

"The  French  are  flushed  with  victory; 
they  will  be  upon  us.  Cut  down  trees, 
block  the  roads,"  was  the  order  of  the 
pusillanimous  Loudoun,  who  expected  that 
Montcalm  would  soon  be  showing  himself 
at  Albany,  and  who  did  nothing  except 
write  letters  to  England,  complaining  of  the 
provincials. 

The  troops  of  New  England  were  dying 
of  disease  and  inaction.     They  were  ready  to  march  against  the  enemy; 
but  Loudoun  made  no  movement,  except  to  go  to  New  York  with  some 


FORT   AT   OSWEGO. 


INCOMPETENT  AND   COWARDLY   GENERALS.  411 

of  the  troops,  sending  a  portion  to  Philadelphia  to  be  quartered  upon  the 
people. 

Robert  Rogers,  of  New  Hampshire,  who  had  been  fighting  the 
French,  persuaded  Lord  Loudoun  to  permit  him  to  enlist  a  battalion  of 
men  to  be  called  Rangers,  who  were  to  be  under  his  command.  He 
would  scout  the  woods  with  them,  and  discover  what  the  French  and  In 
dians  were  doing.  The  men  were  brave  hunters.  It  was  a  service  of 
hardship  and  privation.  They  would  have  to  make  long  marches,  and 
sleep  on  the  ground  ;  to  endure  great  fatigues ;  brave  the  cold  of  winter ; 
wrapping  themselves  in  their  blankets  at  night,  and  lying  down,  with 
the  snow  for  their  bed.  They  must  be  ever  on  the  lookout  for  Indians. 
There  would  be  times  when  they  could  kindle  no  fire  to  keep  themselves 
from  freezing ;  there  would  also  be  times  when  they  would  have  little  to 
eat.  They  would  ever  be  in  danger  of  losing  their  scalps. 

Although  the  hardships  would  be  so  great,  Robert  Rogers  had  no  dif 
ficulty  in  obtaining  all  the  men  he  wanted.  The  settlers  had  suffered 
so  much  from  their  enemy  that  they  were  eager  to  take  their  revenge. 
There  was  a  fascination  in  the  service.  How  stirring  the  thought  of 
stealing  through  the  woods,  making  roundabout  marches,  shooting  a  deer 
or  bear — eating  the  nice  steaks — lying  down  to  sleep  beneath  the  trees; 
up  again  in  the  morning,  coming  upon  the  French  and  Indians  unawares, 
pouring  in  a  volley,  killing  the  savages  or  taking  them  prisoners,  and  re 
turning  in  triumph!  The  pulses  of  the  young  hunters  beat  more  quick 
ly  at  the  thought.  Major  Rogers  chose  the  man  for  captain  who  had 
knocked  the  Indians  right  and  left  when  he  was  called  upon  to  run  the 
gauntlet — John  Stark — who  could  follow  a  trail  as  well  as  any  Indian ; 
who  was  always  cool  and  collected,  and  as  brave  as  a  lion.  They  wore 
green  frocks,  and,  besides  their  rifles,  each  man  had  a  long  knife,  which 
he  could  use  in  a  close  fight. 

Winter  came.  Yaudreuil,  who  commanded  the  French  at  Ticonde- 
roga,  knowing  that  there  was  a  regiment  of  Irish  soldiers  and  the  Ran- 
gers  at  Fort  William  Henry,  planned  its  capture.  With  eleven  hundred 
French  and  four  hundred  Indians  he  made  his  way  stealthily  through  the 
woods.  It  would  have  been  easier  travelling  on  the  lake ;  but  he  intend 
ed  to  surprise  the  English,  and  would  not  expose  himself  to  view  upon 
the  lake. 

St.  Patrick's-day  came.  "  The  Irish  will  all  be  drunk  to-night,  and 
we  will  march  into  the  fort !"  said  Yaudreuil. 

The  Irish  were  keeping  St.  Patrick's-day  in  fine  style— drinking  rum. 
Major  Rogers  was  away,  and  Captain  Stark  was  in  command  of  the  Ran- 


412 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


He  liked  rum  as  well  as  his  soldiers,  but  it 


gers.     He  was  cool-headed. 

would  not  do  for  everybody  to  be  drunk  at  once. 

"Who  knows  but  that  the  French  will  attempt  to  surprise  the  fort  to 
night  ?"  was  the  question  he  put  to  himself,  and  resolved  that  the  Eangers 
should  be  sober. 

"Will  you  not  give  us  an  extra  allowance  of  grog?"  the  Eangers  ask 
ed.  He  did  not  like  to  deny  them.  They  were  old  acquaintances  and 
friends  at  home;  he  would  try  and  not  offend  them.  He  had  sprained 
his  wrist,  and  would  use  it  as  an  excuse.  "I  cannot  hold  a  pen  to  write 
the  order  on  the  commissary,"  he  said. 

It  was  past  midnight.  The  regular  soldiers,  wearied  with  their  rev 
elry,  were  sleeping  off  their  drunk 
en  stupor.  The  sentinels  of  the  Ran 
gers  were  pacing  their  rounds  upon 
the  walls.  Looking  northward  toward 
Crown  Point,  they  saw  a  dark  mass  of 
men  moving  down  the  lake.  In  a  mo 
ment  Stark  and  the  Eangers  are  at  their 
posts.  Their  rifles  flash  ;  Yaudreuil  is 
chagrined.  So,  then,  the  English  are 
not  all  drunk.  Before  he  can  get  ready 
to  attack  with  all  his  force,  the  drunk 
en  soldiers  have  been  shaken  by  their 
commander,  and  are  upon  the  walls 
ready  to  pour  a  stream  of  flre  upon 
him.  He  sets  the  out-buildings  on  fire,  and  returns  to  Ticonderoga,  foil 
ed  through  the  watchfulness  of  Stark. 

The  ice  on  Lake  George  was  thick  and  strong  in  March,  1757,  when 
the  Eangers,  seventy-four  in  number,  with  iron  spurs  on  their  feet,  sev 
eral  days'  rations  in  their  bags,  their  blankets  rolled  upon  their  shoulders, 
inarching  in  single  file,  with  trailed  arms,  Major  Rogers  at  the  head  and 
John  Stark  in  the  rear,  started  from  Fort  William  Henry  to  see  what 
the  French  were  doing  at  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point.  They  carried 
snow-shoes  for  use  in  the  woods.  They  made  their  way  over  the  gleam 
ing  ice  for  two  days ;  but  on  the  third  day  they  left  the  lake,  put  on  their 
snow-shoes,  entered  the  woods,  marched  past  Ticonderoga,  came  out  upon 
the  western  shore  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  discovered  a  party  of  French 
with  horses  and  sleds  on  their  way  from  Ticonderoga  to  Crown  Point. 
Stark,  with  a  part  of  the  Eangers,  made  a  dash  and  captured  seven  pris 
oners.  He  did  not  see  another  party  of  French  around  a  point  of  land 


FORT    WILLIAM    IIKNRY. 


INCOMPETENT  AND  COWARDLY  GENERALS.  413 

in  season  to  capture  them ;  they  escaped  to  Ticonderoga  and  gave  the 
alarm. 

Major  Rogers  knew  that  a  large  party  of  French  and  Indians  would 
be  sent  out  from  Ticonderoga  to  intercept  him,  and  at  once  started  to  re 
turn.  It  was  a  rainy  day.  The  snow  was  damp  and  heavy.  "  We  will 
go  to  our  last  night's  camp  and  dry  our  guns,"  said  he.  They  reached 
the  camping -place,  where  the  tires  were  still  burning,  dried  their  guns, 
put  in  new  priming,  and  started  once  more,  Rogers  in  front,  Stark  bring 
ing  up  the  rear.  It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  ;  Rogers  descended 
a  hill,  crossed  a  brook,  and  was  picking  his  way  up  another  hill,  when 
he  found  himself  face  to  face  with  more  than  two  hundred  Indians  and 
French,  the  nearest  not  twenty  feet  distant. 

A  volley — Lieutenant  Kennedy  and  John  Gardiner  fall  dead ;  a  bullet 
glances  from  Rogers's  skull,  for  a  moment  taking  away  his  senses ;  the 
blood  flows  down  his  face,  blinding  him.  Several  other  Rangers  are 
wounded. 

"  Form  here !"  Captain  Stark  issues  the  order,  and  the  Rangers  un 
der  his  command  take  position  on  a  little  hill.  The  Rangers  down  in 
the  valley  fire  a  volley  at  the  French,  holding  their  ground  till  all  the 
wounded  can  make  their  way  back  to  Stark's  position.  Rogers  wipes  the 
blood  from  his  face,  and  issues  his  orders. 

"You  are  to  command  the  centre,"  he  says  to  Stark.  He  sends  Ser 
geants  Walker  and  Philips  with  eight  men  to  the  rear,  to  give  notice  of 
any  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  crawl  round  and  attack  from  that  direc 
tion. 

"Don't  throw  away  your  ammunition!  Keep  cool!  Don't  expose 
yourselves !"  are  the  orders,  and  each  Ranger  takes  position  behind  a 
tree.  They  know  that  the  enemy  outnumbers  them  three  to  one;  that 
they  have  had  the  advantage  of  the  first  fire;  but  each  Ranger  prepares 
to  fight  to  the  bitter  end. 

Round  through  the  woods  steal  a  part  of  the  French  and  Indians, 
making  a  wide  circuit.  Major  Rogers  reasoned  correctly,  and  placed  the 
two  sergeants  in  the  right  place.  The  eight  Rangers  pick  off  the  French 
one  by  one,  giving  them  such  a  warm  reception  that,  instead  of  rushing 
on,  they  remain  at  a  distance. 

The  other  French,  with  a  horde  of  Indians  howling  the  war-whoop, 
begin  the  attack  in  front,  the  Indians,  springing  from  tree  to  tree,  getting 
nearer  and  nearer.  But  the  Rangers  are  on  the  watch,  and  many  of  the 
savages  leap  into  the  air  and  fall  dead,  or  crawl  away,  leaving  bloody  trails 
upon  the  snow. 


414r  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

"If  you  will  surrender,  we  will  give  you  good  quarter!"  shouted  the 
French  commander. 

Major  Kogers  was  faint  from  loss  of  blood,  and  at  that  moment  was 
faint-hearted.  He  feared  that  the  Rangers  would  all  be  picked  off  be 
fore  the  fio-ht  would  cease.  It  would  be  three  hours  to  sunset.  Could 


JOHN    STARK. 


they  hold  out  till  then?     He  had  no  thought  of  surrendering,  but  would 
it  not  be  best  to  retreat  ? 

John  Stark's  blood  is  up.  "Retreat!  No.  That  will  be  certain 
destruction.  We  can  beat  them  here.  I'll  shoot  the  first  man  that  at 
tempts  to  retreat."  It  was  bold  language  for  him  to  use  to  his  com 
mander;  but  he  knew  that  Rogers  had  been  stunned  by  the  bullet  that 
Lad  glanced  from  his  skull,  and  was  not  quite  himself. 


INCOMPETENT  AND  COWARDLY  GENERALS.  415 

The  fight  goes  on— the  Rangers  taking  sure  aim,  the  French  firing 
more  wildly ;  but  still,  one  by  one,  the  Rangers  drop.  Captain  Spikernan 
and  Mr.  Baker  are  killed.  A  bullet  strikes  the  lock  of  Stark's  gun,  and 
renders  it  useless.  He  sees  a  Frenchman  fall  at  the  instant,  springs  for 
ward,  seizes  his  gun,  returns  to  his  tree,  and  renews  the  fight. 

A  bullet  tears  through  Rogers's  wrist,  and  the  blood  spurts  out  in  a 
stream.  It  must  be  stopped,  or  he  will  bleed  to  death.  Rogers  wears  his 
back  hair  braided  in  a  cue.  "  Take  your  knife  and  cut  off  my  cue,"  he 
says  to  one  of  the  Rangers,  who  whips  out  his  hunting-knife,  cuts  off  the 
cue,  and  Rogers  sticks  it  into  the  wound  to  stop  the  flow  of  blood. 

All  through  the  dreary  afternoon  the  fight  goes  on.  The  snow  is 
crimsoned  with  blood.  The  killed  and  mortally  wounded  lie  where  they 
fell.  For  the  Rangers  there  is  no  escape ;  they  must  conquer,  or  die. 

The  shades  of  night  steal  on ;  the  fire  of  the  French  and  Indians 
has  been  growing  less;  the  war-whoop  dies  away;  the  last  gun  is  fired. 
The  enemy,  picking  up  their  wounded,  retire  to  Ticonderoga,  leaving  the 
Rangers  victors.  What  a  dear-bought  victory !  One-half  of  them  killed 
or  wounded.  Of  the  enemy,  one  hundred  and  sixteen  have  fallen ! 

The  Rangers  were  only  four  miles  from  Ticonderoga,  and  might  ex 
pect  to  be  attacked  again  in  the  morning.  They  were  forty  miles  from 
Fort  William  Henry.  They  were  weary  and  worn,  but  they  must  move 
on.  They  made  litters  for  the  wounded  and  started,  marching  all  night, 
but  making  only  a  few  miles.  The  rain  had  ceased ;  the  air  was  chill. 
They  must  have  help.  John  Stark,  leaving  them,  started  for  Fort  Wil 
liam  Henry,  reaching  it  at  sunset.  Soldiers  with  horses  and  sleds  went 
at  once,  and  John  Stark  with  them,  stopping  not  a  moment  to  rest  his 
weary  limbs.  At  sunrise  he  was  back  to  the  Rangers  with  re-enforce 
ments  and  supplies.  The  French  had  not  followed  them,  and  they  made 
their  way  safely  back  to  Fort  William  Henry,  having  fought  one  of  the 
most  obstinate,  unequal,  yet  victorious  battles  recorded  in  history. 

The  ever-active  and  brave  Montcalm  came  from  Montreal,  when  spring 
opened,  to  take  direction  of  affairs  at  Ticonderoga,  determined  to  capture 
Fort  William  Henry.  Everything  was  in  his  favor.  He  had  six  thou 
sand  Frenchmen  and  Canadians,  and  a  great  following  of  Indians.  He 
had  sent  so  many  presents  to  the  Iroquois,  and  had  been  so  brave  and  suc 
cessful,  that  many  of  the  warriors  had  paid  him  a  visit  at  the  little  fort  of 
St.  John's,  on  the  Richelieu,  and  joined  in  the  war-dances  with  the  Algon-. 
quins — forgetting  for  the  moment  their  old  feud:  and  promising  to  take 
no  part  in  the  war. 

The  English  general,  Webb,  was  weak,  incompetent,  and  a  coward. 


416  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

He  had  five  thousand  men  at  Fort  Edward,  and  one  thousand  at  Fort 
William  Henry,  most  of  them  from  New  England— brave  men,  ready  to 
meet  the  enemy.  Webb,  Abercrombie,  and  Lord  Loudoun  all  looked  down 
upon  them ;  but  there  were  hundreds  of  men  in  the  ranks  who  could  have 
managed  affairs  better  than  either  of  these  three  incapables  sent  over  by 
the  ministers  of  George  II. 

What  a  sight  was  that  which  Montcalm  beheld  on  the  last  day  of 
July,  1757,  at  Ticonderoga— the  arrival  of  one  of  his  officers,  Marin,  and 
a  party  of  Indians,  with  the  bleeding  scalps  of  forty -two  Englishmen, 
whom  they  had  killed  near  Fort  Edward !  Montcalm  was  just  starting 
to  capture  Fort  William  Henry;  M.  de  Levy  had  gone  with  twenty-five 
hundred ;  and  Montcalm  followed  the  next  day  in  two  hundred  and  fifty 
boats.  The  rowers  sung  the  songs  of  France,  keeping  time  to  the  music 
with  the  dipping  of  their  paddles  as  they  moved  past  Paradise  Bay,  and 
the  bold  headlands  and  wooded  islands. 

On  that  same  day  General  Webb,  escorted  by  two  hundred  men  under 
Major  Israel  Putnam,  of  Connecticut,  was  riding  from  Fort  Edward  to 
Fort  William  Henry. 

"  Go  down  the  lake  and  make  a  reconnoissance,"  was  the  order  of 
Webb  to  Putnam,  who  went  half-way  down  the  beautiful  sheet  of  water, 
discovering  the  fleet  of  Montcalm,  and  returning  with  that  intelligence. 

"Montcalm  with  his  whole  army  is  coming!"  said  Putnam.  He  urged 
General  Webb  to  order  the  whole  force  of  the  English  at  Fort  Edward  to 
hasten  to  the  defence  of  Fort  William  Henry. 

"  No ;  they  will  get  in  our  rear,  take  Fort  Edward,  and  move  on 
Albany.  Keep  your  information  secret,"  said  Webb,  as  he  leaped  upon 
his  horse  and  rode  as  fast  as  he  could  through  the  woods  to  Fort  Edward. 
Upon  arriving  there,  he  sent  Colonel  Munroe,  a  brave  provincial  officer, 
with  one  thousand  men,  to  re-enforce  the  garrison  at  Fort  William  Henry, 
remaining  himself  at  Fort  Edward,  trembling  and  nervous,  fearing  that 
the  French  would  be  attacking  him. 

Montcalm  sailed  down  the  lake.  The  sentinels  on  the  walls  of  the 
fort  beheld  the  great  fleet  of  boats  filled  with  soldiers,  wearing  the  bright 
uniforms  of  France,  their  banners  waving  above  them.  Montcalm  kept 
on  till  he  was  almost  within  cannon-shot  of  the  fort,  and  ran  the  boats 
upon  the  pebbled  beach  on  the  western  shore.  The  troops  landed,  pitched 
their  tents,  dragged  the  cannon  from  the  bateaux,  threw  up  a  bank  of 
earth,  and  placed  the  cannon  in  position.  The  Indians  and  the  soldiers 
under  M.  de  Levy  made  a  circuit  through  the  woods,  and  took  position 
south  of  the  fort. 


INCOMPETENT   AND    COWARDLY   GENERALS. 


417 


Munroe       had 
four  hundred    and 
fifty  men  in   the   fort.      On  the 
spot  now   marked   by   the   ruins 
of  Fort  George  were   seventeen 
hundred  and  h'fty  men,  protected 
by  intrenchments.     A  messenger 
with  a  white  flag  appeared,  with  PARADISE  BAY. 

a  letter  from  Montcalm  demand 
ing  the  surrender  not  only  of  the  fort,  but  of  all  the  troops  outside  of  it. 
27 


418 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


"  I  will  defend  it  to  the  last !"  was  the  answer  of  Munroe,  who  sent  to 
Webb,  asking  for  re-enforcements. 

"I  cannot  send  you  any,"  was  the  reply  of  the  coward. 

Montcalra's  cannon  opened.  He  had  thirteen  cannon  and  three  mor 
tars.  For  six  days  the  artillery  thundered,  making  very  little  impression 
on  the  walls ;  but  Colonel  Munroe's  provisions  were  running  low.  There 
were  abundant  supplies  at  Fort  Edward.  Webb  had  four  thousand  men, 
and  it  would  be  easy  for  him  to  march  through  the  woods  and  attack 
the  French  in  the  rear.  The  soldiers  could  hear  the  roar  of  the  guns  all 
through  the  day,  and  were  eager  to  march  ;  but  no  orders  were  issued. 
There  is  one  enemy  that  the  bravest  soldier  cannot-  conquer  — hunger 


PLAN    OF    FORT   WILLIAM    HENRT. 

A.  Dock;  B.  Garrison  gardens;  C.  Fort  William  Henry;  D.  Morass;  E.  Montcalm's  1st  Battery  of  9  gnns 
and  2  mortars  ;  F.  Montcalm's  2d  Battery  of  10  guns  and  3  mortars ;  G.  Montcalm's  approaches ;  H.  Two 
intended  Batteries;  I.  Place  where  Montcalm  landed  his  artillery;  K.  Montcalm's  camp,  with  the  main 
body  of  the  army;  L.  M.  de  Levy's  camp— 4000  Regulars  and  Canadians;  M  M.  de  la  Come,  with  1500 
Canadians  and  Indians;  N.  English  encampment  before  the  retrenchment  was  made;  O.  The  bridge 
over  the  morass ;  P.  The  English  retrenchment. 

When  his  provisions  were  all  gone,  when  he  saw  that  he  could  have  no 
help  from  his  pusillanimous  commander,  Colonel  Munroe  hung  out  a 
white  flag,  offering  to  surrender  the  fort  on  condition  that  he  and  all 
the  soldiers  should  be  allowed  to  march  to  Fort  Edward,  and  be  protected 
by  the  French  while  on  the  way.  Montcalm  agreed  to  the  proposition, 
and  promised  not  only  to  protect  them  from  the  Indians,  but  to  take 


INCOMPETENT  AND   COWARDLY  GENERALS. 


419 


BLOODY    POND. 


care  of  the  sick ;  and  when  they  recovered,  they  were  to  be  allowed  to 
return  to  their  homes. 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  August  10th  when  the  garrison  filed  out 
of  the  fort  and   moved  down  the 
road  toward  Fort  Edward. 

Around  them  were  the  sav 
ages,  brandishing  their  tomahawks 
and  scalping -knives  with  hungry 
eyes.  They  had  come  to  take  the 
scalps  of  the  English.  Were  they 
to  be  cheated?  Not  they.  The 
English  were  unarmed,  and  could 
make  no  resistance.  An  Indian 
raised  his  tomahawk  and  brought 
it  down  upon  a  soldier's  skull,  and 
the  bloody  carnage  began.  The 
sight  of  the  flowing  blood  made 
them  demons.  Howling  like 

O 

wolves,  they  rushed  upon  the  defenceless  men,  women,  and  children, 
hacking  them  to  pieces.  Montcalm  ran  among  them,  seized  their  hatch 
ets,  and  tried  to  stop  them. 

"  Kill  me,  but  spare  them  !"  he  said.  The  other  French  officers  tried 
to  stay  the  fury  of  the  Indians,  but  in  vain.  The  terrible  slaughter  went 
on,  till  the  fleeing  fugitives  found  protection  from  five  hundred  troops 
sent  out  from  Fort  Edward  to  receive  them. 

Montcalm,  having  set  the  place  on  fire,  taking  all  the  cannon,  went 
back  to  Ticonderoga,  well  satisfied  with  what  he  had  done. 

Major  Putnam  went  up  from  Fort  Edward  after  the  French  had 
departed,  and  wrote  to  Webb  of  what  he  saw :  the  bodies  of  the  dead 
smouldering  in  the  flames — among  them  the  corpses  of  more  than  one 
hundred  women,  who  had  been  butchered.  The  French  had  thrown 
many  of  the  bodies  into  a  little  sheet  of  water,  which  since  then  has 
been  called  "Bloody  Pond." 

"We  shall  be  attacked!"  said  Webb',  who  was  inside  of  Fort  Edward, 
pale  and  trembling.  He  was  so  frightened  that  he  sent  his  baggage  down 
the  Hudson,  and  talked  of  abandoning  the  defences. 

Governor  Powell  was  as  much  frightened  as  Webb,  and  sent  word  to 
the  people  of  the  Connecticut  Valley  that  they  must  drive  in  their  cattle, 
and  cut  their  carts  to  pieces,  so  that  the  French  should  not  get  hold  of 
them.  Lord  Loudoun,  in  New  York,  was  most  frightened  of  all,  and 


420  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

prepared  to  encamp  on  Long  Island,  where  the  French  could  not  get  at 
him. 

The  year  closed  with  the  French  masters  of  the  Ohio  Valley,  Lake 
George,  and  Lake  Champlain ;  they  had  won  victory  after  victory,  while 
the  English,  through  the  utter  incapacity  of  Braddock,  Loudoun,  Aber- 
crombie,  and  Webb,  had  suffered  repeated  defeats. 


TWO  CIVILIZATIONS.  421 


CHAPTEK  XXXV. 

TWO    CIVILIZATIONS. 

HPHE  great  empire  of  New  France,  which  Champlain  had  dreamed  of, 
-*-  and  which  the  Jesuits  had  labored  so  zealously  to  build  up,  was  weak 
and  feeble,  arid  at  a  stand-still.  It  was  the  intermeddling  of  the  Jesuits 
which  more  than  anything  else  had  retarded  the  growth.  They  wanted 
an  empire  in  which  they  would  have  supreme  control.  All  Protestants 
had  been  carefully  excluded.  Many  of  the  eight  hundred  thousand  Hu 
guenots  which  had  been  driven  from  France  would  have  settled  in  Can 
ada,  but  no  heretic  could  be  permitted  to  find  an  asylum  there.  The 
French  who  had  emigrated  to  Canada  were,  for  the  most  part,  weak  and 
feeble.  No  great  ideal  had  animated  them.  Many  of  them  had  inter 
married  with  the  Indians,  and  their  children  were  half  Indian,  finding  far 
more  pleasure  in  roving  the  woods  and  hunting  bears  than  in  following 
the  plough  or  bending  down  to  the  sickle  in  the  harvest-field. 

The  government  of  Canada,  all  through  the  years,  had  been  conducted 
on  the  idea  of  the  feudal  ages.  The  king  was  absolute ;  the  Church  had 
the  control  of  every  man's  conscience;  the  people  had  no  rights;  they 
were  only  serfs.  They  had  no  manufactures — all  their  clothing,  all  their 
implements,  arid  much  of  their  food,  carne  from  France.  Under  such 
conditions  how  could  Canada  advance?  The  King  of  France,  Louis  XV., 
giving  himself  up  to  a  round  of  sensual  pleasure — balls  and  fetes  at  Fon- 
tainebleau  and  Versailles — could  not  understand  why  New  France  did  not 
keep  pace  with  the  English  colonies.  His  ministers  could  not  understand 
it.  They  had  no  comprehension  of  the  spirit  of  liberty  which  was  rising 
everywhere.  They  did  not  see  that  the  time  had  come  when  old  ideas 
were  to  pass  away ;  that  king,  nobleman,  priest — all  were  to  go  down  be 
fore  the  people ;  and  that  the  contest  going  on  along  the  shores  of  Lake 
George  and  Lake  Champlain  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  order  of  things. 
There  was  one  Frenchman  who  saw  that,  sooner  or  later,  the  lilies  of 
France  would  give  place  to  the  cross  of  St.  George  in  America— the  Mar 
quis  de  Montcalm. 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

William  Pitt,  Prime-minister  of  England,  sent  out  a  fleet  of  vessels 
to  capture  the  fleets  of  France, to  cut  off  the  supplies  of  Canada.  "New 
France  needs  peace,"  Montcalm  wrote  to  the  French  minister.  "  Such  are 
the  number  of  the  English,  such  the  difficulty  of  receiving  supplies,  that 
sooner  or  later  it  must  fall."  His  soldiers  had  only  half  a  pound  of 
bread  per  day.  In  the  whole  country  there  were  but  few  sheep  and  cat 
tle.  The  wars  of  previous  years  had  told  upon  New  France.  Men  had 
been  fighting  when  they  should  have  been  following  the  plough ;  and 
now  that  the  ships  of  England  were  everywhere  capturing  the  French 
ships,  the  country  was  on  the  verge  of  starvation. 

The  Hangers  of  New  Hampshire  were  keeping  watch  along  Lake 
George  and  Lake  Champlain.  They  made  secret  expeditions— dragging 
their  boats  from  lake  to  lake,  carrying  their  packs ;  going  down  Lake 
Champlain  toward  Canada,  capturing  boats  laden  with  supplies  for  Crown 
Point — striking  a  blow,  and  returning  to  Fort  William  Henry. 

The  lake  was  frozen,  and  the  snow  four  feet  deep  in  the  woods  in 
March,  1758,  when  Major  Eogers  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  men  on 
snow-shoes  started  for  Fort  Edward,  and  made  their  way  north  to  the 
Narrows  on  Lake  George.  They  camped  on  the  shore  of  the  lake.  At 
sunrise  the  next  morning  they  were  once  more  on  the  march,  crossing  to 
Sabbath-day  Point.  From  the  hills  Major  Rogers  looked  northward  over 
the  lake  with  a  glass,  but  could  see  no  signs  of  French  or  Indians.  When 
night  came,  Lieutenant  Phillips  and  fifteen  men,  laying  aside  their  snow- 
shoes  and  putting  on  skates,  glided  down  the  lake,  discovering  a  fire  in 
the  woods.  They  hastened  back  and  reported  what  they  had  seen.  The 
Rangers  went  on,  reached  the  place,  but  no  fire  was  burning.  They  did 
not  know  that  the  French  had  discovered  them,  and,  putting  out  the  fire, 
had  fled  to  Ticonderoga,  giving  the  alarm.  At  sunrise  the  Rangers  left 
the  lake  and  struck  into  the  woods,  marching  until  noon.  They  ate  din 
ner,  and  started  once  more  along  the  base  of  a  mountain.  It  was  toil 
some  travelling  in  the  deep  snow. 

"  Indians  !"  The  advance-guard  whispered  it,  and  the  word  ran  along 
the  line;  ninety -six  savages  had  been  discovered.  The  Rangers  laid 
down  their  packs  and  prepared  for  battle.  In  silence  they  went  on, 
concealed  by  a  ridge.  They  were  abreast  of  the  Indians.  Suddenly 
they  spring  to  the  top  of  the  ridge  and  fire  a  volley,  killing  forty  of 
the  savages.  The  rest  retreated,  followed  by  a  portion  of  the  Rangers, 
who  were  exulting  over  their  victory,  but  who  found  themselves  con 
fronted  by  six  hundred  French,  Canadians,  and  Indians,  who  fired  upon 
the  Rangers,  killing  nearly  fifty  of  them  in  a  body.  Major  Rogers  began 


TWO  CIVILIZATIONS. 


423 


a  retreat,  but  discovered  two  hundred  Indians  climbing  a  hill  to  get  in 
his  rear;  but  Lieutenant  Phillips,  with  eighteen  Rangers,  gained  the  top 
of  the  hill  in  advance,  and  drove  them  back.  The  French  were  creeping 
round  on  his  other  flank,  but  Lieutenant  Craftons  stopped  them.  The 
Rangers  were  outnumbered  five  to  one.  Nearer  pursued  the  French,  till 
they  were  not  sixty  feet  distant.  More  than  one  hundred  of  the  Rangers 


DRAGGING   THE    BOATS. 


had  fallen,  and  they  were  dropping  every  moment,  crimsoning  the  snow 
with  their  blood.  More  than  three  hundred  of  the  enemy  were  pressing 
upon  Phillips  and  his  handful  of  men. 

"Will  you  give  me  good  quarter,  if  I  surrender?"  shouted  Phillips  to 
the  French. 

"  We  will,"  they  replied.      The  men  ceased  firing ;  and  a  few  mo- 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE    COLONIES. 


ments  later  were  lying  upon 
the  snow,  with  their  heads  split 
open  and  their  scalps  torn  from 
their  skulls.  The  French  were 
pressing  upon  Rogers.  He 
climbed  the  mountain,  which 
descends  sharp  and  steep  on 
one  side  to  the  lake — a  bare 
ledge  hundreds  of  feet  high. 
He  threw  his  rifle,  and  every 
thing  that  could  hinder  him 
from  walking,  down  the  rocks. 
He  saw  them  glide  down  the 
cliff,  and  out  upon  the  gleam 
ing  ice.  He  stood  upright  on 
his  snow-shoes,  unbuckled  the 
straps,  turned  himself  round, 
and  buckled  them  on  again. 
It  was  the  work  of  a  moment.  He  walked  back  from  the  edge  of 
the  cliff  into  the  woods,  and  disappeared  from  view  just  before  the 
Indians  came  up,  hastening  to  capture  one  who  had  done  them  so 
much  harm.  Now  they  were  upon  his  track ;  they  were  sure  of  over 
taking  him.  The  foremost  warrior  reached  the  cliff.  No  Rogers  there. 
Two  tracks  toward  the  cliff — none  from  it.  He  could  not  make  it  out- 


K    GKOUUti,  FKOM    THK    '1U1J    O-b'    ROGi.US  S    ROCK.. 


TWO  CIVILIZATIONS. 


425 


Other  warriors  came  and  gazed  upon  the  tracks.  Had  two  Englishmen 
thrown  themselves  headlong  over  the  cliff,  to  be  dashed  in  pieces,  rather 
than  be  captured  ? 

Ha !  ha !  They  hear  a  voice  from  below  them,  and  behold  Major 
Rogers,  with  his  pack  and  gun,  moving  across  the  lake — hastening  to  join 
the  others  of  his  party  who  have  escaped. 


EARL    OF    BUTE. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  and  other  discouragements,  Montcalm  pre 
pared  to  defend  Canada  to  the  last. 

William  Pitt  was  sick  of  Lord  Loudoun,  and  the  king  ordered  him 
to  England.  General  Abercrombie  was  Lord  Bute's  particular  friend; 
and  at  the  solicitation  of  that  nobleman,  Pitt  allowed  him  to  remain  in 

H* 


426 

America, 
give  life 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

but  sent  out  the  brave,  active,  intelligent  young  Lord  Howe  to 
to  the  army  which  was  to  take  Ticonderoga.     General  Aber- 

crombie  had  been  in  America  two 
years.  He  was  commander-in-chief. 
He  had  done  nothing  except  to  dig 
a  ditch  around  Albany ;  but,  having 
been  in  America  so  long,  was  sup 
posed  to  know  all  about  affairs. 

There  were  lively  times  in  New 
York  when  the  troops  from  England 


SOUTHERN  END  OF  LAKE  GEORGE. 

and  Scotland  landed  ;  livelier  times  at  Albany,  when  the  schooners  and 
barges  were  discharging  their  supplies — boxes,  barrels,  cannon,  ammuni 
tion  ;  and  still  more  lively  scenes  at  the  southern  end  of  Lake  George, 
around  the  ruins  of  Fort  William  Henry,  where  sixteen  thousand  men 
were  in  carnp.  There  was  no  end  of  teams  bringing  supplies  from  Fort 
Edward.  Hundreds  of  ship-carpenters  were  at  work  building  boats,  ba 
teaux,  and  rafts.  The  shore  of  the  lake  was  dotted  with  tents.  Soldiers 
from  Scotland,  England,  Ireland,  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  Con 
necticut,  Khode  Island,  New  York,  and  New  Jersey  were  in  camp,  side 
by  side.  The  Highlanders  wearing  their  plaids,  the  Grenadiers,  the  light 
infantry,  the  artillery  in  their  red  coats,  looked  with  contempt  upon  the 
men  in  homespun,  who  had  left  their  ploughing  and  turned  their  cattle 
to  pasture,  and  enlisted  as  soldiers  for  a  three  months'  campaign.  True, 
they  had  turned  out  once  or  twice  a  year  and  marched  to  the  drum-beat 
on  the  village  green  ;  but  what  did  they  know  about  war  ? 

The  troops  that  had  come  across  the  Atlantic  laughed  at  the  ungainly 


TWO  CIVILIZATIONS.  427 

ways  of  the  provincials,  who  togged  along  like  sheep,  instead  of  marching 
in  regular  order ;  who  had  elected  their  officers,  just  as  they  elected  their 
selectmen — in  town-meeting.  Little  do  the  young  lords  and  sprigs  of  no 
bility,  commanding  the  troops  of  the  king,  know  what  sort  of  men  these 
backwoodsmen  are,  or  what  they  will  do  for  the  human  race  during  the 
next  twenty  years. 

Day  breaks  July  5th,  1758.  The  drums  beat  the  reveille.  Camp- 
fires  are  kindled ;  the  blue  smoke  curls  above  the  trees.  The  soldiers  eat 
their  breakfast.  The  carpenters  have  hewn  their  last  planks,  driven  the 
last  nail  into  the  nine  hundred  small -boats  and  one  hundred  and  thir 
ty  whale-boats,  which  are  drawn  up  on  the  beach.  They  have  com 
pleted  their  bateaux  and  rafts,  upon  which  the  artillery-men  are  to  trans 
port  their  cannon.  At  sunrise  all  are  ready.  The  soldiers  step  into  the 
boats,  and  the  great  flotilla  moves  away  —  trumpets  sounding,  drums 
beating,  banners  waving,  arms  gleaming  in  the  sunlight  —  the  dip  of 
the  rowers'  oars  keeping  time  to  the  music,  the  bright  red  uniforms 
and  waving  plumes  reflected  from  the  placid  waters.  Never  before 
had  such  an  army  been  seen  in  America — never  before  such  a  brilliant 
pageant  on  Lake  George.  The  army  reached  Sabbath-day  Point;  the 
boats  were  run  upon  the  beach,  arid  the  soldiers  kindled  fires  and  cooked 
their  supper. 

Upon  a  bear-skin  within  his  tent  lay  Lord  Howe— young,  beloved  by 


THE  GREAT  FLOTILLA  MOVES  AWAY. 


all  for  his  kindness,  energy,  and  tireless  activity.  By  him  are  Major 
Eogers  and  John  Stark,  who  know  all  the  country  around  Ticonderoga 
and  beyond  to  Crown  Point.  General  Abercrombie  and  most  of  the  offi 
cers  commanding  the  king's  troops  are  haughty  in  their  deportment  to- 


428 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


ward  the  provincials ;  but  Lord  Howe  has  discovered  their  worth,  and 
made  them  his  confidants  and  advisers.  The  Eangers  inform  him  that 
the  river  between  Lake  George  and  Lake  Champlain  is  four  miles  long, 
running  south-easterly ;  that  there  are  rapids  and  falls  two  miles  from  the 
fort,  where  the  French  have  built  a  saw-mill  The  fort  stands  on  the 
point  of  land  between  the  river  and  Lake  Champlain.  There  are  wet 
meadows  directly  north  of  the  fort,  and  the  only  approach  is  from  the 
north-west,  over  the  strip  of  land  between  the  river  and  the  meadow. 

Montcalm  has  made  a  line  of  breastworks  across  the  point  of  land 
half  a  mile  from  the  fort.  His  soldiers  have  been  working  like  beavers, 
cutting  down  the  tall  trees  outside  the  breastwork,  felling  them  in  such 
a  way  that  they  lie  across  one  another,  with  their  limbs  interlaced.  They 


SABBATH-DAY    POINT. 


drive  sharpened  stakes  into  the  ground,  dig  up  the  stumps  and  place 
them  in  line,  with  their  gnarled  roots  sticking  out  in  every  direction. 

Montcalm  has  only  thirty-six  hundred  men,  but  he  knows  what  to  do 
with  them.  He  inspires  them  with  his  own  indomitable  spirit  and  en 
thusiasm.  Every  man  is  at  work  with  an  axe  or  spade,  or  putting  his 
shoulder  to  a  log  or  stump  to  place  it  in  position.  He  has  sent  out  three 
hundred  men  to  the  saw-mill.  There  are  three  pickets  still  farther  out, 
by  a  sheltered  cove  at  the  northern  end  of  the  lake.  On  the  mountain 
overlooking  the  fort  stands  a  sentinel,  with  a  signal-flag,  looking  up  the 
lake  with  watchful  eyes  to  announce  the  coming  of  the  English.  At  mid 
night  the  boats  were  once  more  in  motion.  Lord  Howe,  Colonel  Brad- 
street,  and  Major  Eogers  together  in  a  boat,  pulled  by  strong-armed  row 
ers,  pushing  ahead  to  reconnoitre. 

The  morning  sun  throws  its  beams  upon  the  lofty  summit  of  Black 


TWO  CIVILIZATIONS. 


429 


THE  NORTHERN  END  OF  LAKE  GEORGK. 


Mountain.  The  shadows 
lift  from  the  lake.  Mont- 
calm  looks  up  from  the 
fort  to  Mount  Defiance, 
and  beholds  a  white  ftag 
waving  in  the  morning 
air.  The  sentinel  has 
caught  the  gleam  of  the 
sunlight  on  the  bright 
bayonets  of  the  advan 
cing  army.  He  can  see 
the  dipping  of  the  oars. 
The  thousand  boats  come 
into  view,  gliding  amidst 
the  islands.  The  Rang 
ers  leap  on  shore.  They 
know  the  ground.  The 
regiments  disembark,  and 
by  noon  the  army  is  ready 
to  march.  The  Eangers 
have  been  pushing  so  near 
Montcalm's  lines  that  they 
can  see  the  Frenchmen 
at  work  with  axes  and 
spades. 


430  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

"If  the  English  will  but  give  us  a  little  more  time,  we  will  beat 
them,"  Montcalm  is  saying  to  his  men. 

Lord  Howe  is  eager  to  push  on.  The  brigades  form  and  move 
through  the  woods,  Lord  Howe  in  advance.  The  French  from  the  saw. 
mill  are  making  their  way  to  the  fort,  but  have  taken  the  wrong  path, 
and  fall  in  with  the  troops  under  Lord  Howe.  There  is  a  flashing  of 
muskets.  Some  of  the  French  fall ;  others  leap  into  the  river,  to  escape 
by  swimming;  one  hundred  and  fifty  surrender.  A  few  English  have 
fallen,  and  among  the  killed  is  Lord  Howe. 

The  soul  of  the  enterprise  has  departed.  All  is  confusion.  General 
Abercrombie  has  no  plan,  nor  has  any  other  English  officer.  The  troops 
stop  where  they  are  till  morning,  sleeping  on  their  arms,  and  then  march 
back  to  the  landing.  There  is  a  road  from  the  landing  to  the  fort,  cross 
ing  the  river  twice,  and  the  French  have  broken  down  the  bridges ;  but 
Colonel  Bradstreet,  whom  the  English  officers  regard  as  a  backwoodsman, 
sets  his  men  at  work,  and  has  the  bridges  rebuilt  before  noon,  and  the 
army  moves  on,  encamping  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  enemy's  lines, 
upon  the  ground  which  the  Kangers  have  been  holding. 

The  chief-engineer,  Clerk,  accompanied  by  John   Stark,  reconnoitres 
Montcalm's  position.     The  engineer  has  studied  in  the  military  schools. 
War  is  a  science,  in  his  estimation,  to  be  conducted  by  set  rules.     He  sees 
fallen  trees,  stumps,  banks  of  earth,  and  stakes  driven  into  the  ground. 
"  Their  works  are  flimsy,"  he  says. 

"I  do  not  think  so.  I  regard  them  as  formidable,"  is  the  outspoken 
opinion  of  John  Stark. 

What  does  this  country  bumpkin  know  of  war?  Nothing,  in  the  esti 
mation  of  a  learned  engineer. 

Some  of  the  English  officers  shake  their  heads  when  they  gaze  upon 
the  tangled  mass  of  fallen  trees,  the  line  of  stakes,  rows  of  stumps,  and 
breastwork  of  earth,  every  moment  growing  more  formidable  under  the 
untiring  activity  of  Marquis  de  Montcalm.  Abercrombie  does  not  go 
upon  the  ground.  His  tent  is  pitched  at  the  saw-mill.  He  sees  noth 
ing,  knows  nothing :  he  accepts  only  the  report  of  the  engineer,  that  the 
defences  which  Montcalm  has  made  are  so  weak  that  the  British  troops 
will  tear  them  away  in  a  twinkling.  He  has  cannon,  but  they  are  at  the 
landing ;  it  will  take  time  to  bring  them  up,  and  he  will  order  an  attack 
at  once.  He  does  not  expect  much  help  from  the  provincials.  They 
may  clear  the  way,  draw  the  first  fire  of  the  French,  and  then  the  troops 
of  the  king  will  go  in  and  make  quick  work. 

"If  I  were  called  upon  to  take  Fort  Carillon,  I  should  only  ask  for 


TWO  CIVILIZATIONS. 


431 


two  cannon  and  some  mortars  on  yonder  mountain,"  said  Montcalm,  look 
ing  up  to  the  summit  of  Mount  Defiance,  and  rejoicing  to  think  that  the 
stupid  English  were  going  to  do  just  what  he  wished  them  to  do — butt 
their  heads  against  the  stumps  which  he  had  placed  in  the  lines  of  hi& 
defence. 

"  Let  the  attack  be  made  at  once !"  was  Abercrombie's  order. 

It  was  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  the  sixteen  thousand  men, 
in  three  lines,  moved  toward  Montcalm's  breastworks  —  the  Rangers  on 
the  left  of  the  front  line,  the  boatmen  in  the  centre,  the  light  infantry 
on  the  right.  The  second  line  was  composed  wholly  of  Massachusetts 
and  New  York  troops;  the  third  line  of  the  king's  troops.  The  rear 
guard  was  composed  of  Connecticut  and  New  Jersey  troops.  Four  hun 
dred  and  forty  of  the  Iro- 
quois,  under  Sir  William 
Johnson,  hovered  in  the 
rear.  If  the  English  suc 
ceeded,  they  would  be  ready 
to  scalp  the  French. 

"  Let  there  be  openings 
between  the  provincial  reg 
iments,  so  that  when  the 
provincials  have  drawn  the 
fire  of  the  French,  the  king's 
troops  may  rush  in  with  fix 
ed  bayonets,"  was  the  order 
of  Abercrombie,  who  plan 
ned  just  how  the  battle  must 
be  fought,  and  remained  in 
his  tent,  two  miles  away. 

"  Let  not  a  gun  be  fired  till  I  give  the  order!"  said  Montcalm,  walking 
along  his  lines  in  his  shirt-sleeves. 

Up  to  the  fallen  trees  marched  the  Rangers,  crouching  close  to  the 
earth,  sheltering  themselves  behind  the  logs.  They  know  very  well  that 
there  is  serious  work  before  them.  The  provincials  follow  their  exam 
ple.  The  king's  soldiers,  marching  as  if  upon  parade,  move  bravely  on, 
scorning  such  unmilitary  proceedings.  They  reach  the  fallen  trees.  The 
French  lines  suddenly  are  a  line  of  light,  cannon  and  small  arms  pouring 
a  pitiless  storm  of  leaden  rain  and  iron  hail  upon  the  red-coated  soldiers, 
stumbling  and  falling,  in  their  efforts  to  get  through  the  tangled  thickets. 
The  Highlanders  are  brave.  The  officers  set  them  examples  of  courage ; 


PLAN    OF    ATTACK    BY    GENERAL   ABERCROMBIE    AT    TlCOtf- 
DEROGA,  JULY   8TH,   1758. 


432 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


"THE  HIGHLANDERS  ARE  BRAVE." 

but  they  fall  by  scores.  Some  of  them  get  near  enough  to  the  breast 
works  to  gaze  into  the  eyes  of  the  enemy,  only  to  be  shot  down  at  last. 
The  English  endeavored  to  turn  the  French  right;  but  Montcalm,  watch 
ing  every  movement,  threw  in  re -enforcements  and  drove  them  back. 
Again  and  again  the  English  moved  to  the  attack,  centring  all  their 
force  upon  a  single  point ;  but  the  ever-watchful  Montcalm  was  at  hand 
to  repulse  them.  After  every  repulse  of  the  English  Montcalm  distrib 
utes  refreshments  to  his  troops,  and  praises  them  for  their  valor.  Night 
closes  upon  the  scene — with  a  great  army  in  retreat,  defeated,  humiliated, 
having  lost  nearly  two  thousand  killed  and  wounded. 

The  English  still  outnumbered  the  French  fourfold.     Not  a  cannon 
had  been  fired  by  them.     The  army  was  well  supplied  with  provisions, 


TWO  CIVILIZATIONS. 


433 


but  the  pusillanimous  and  frightened  general,  who  had  not  been  with 
in  two  miles  of  the  battle-ground,  gave  orders  to  re- embark  at  once. 
When  the  morning  dawned,  the  army  was  far  on  its  way  up  the  lake. 
Abercrombie  reached  the  southern  shore,  sent  his  cannon  and  ammuni 
tion  to  Albany,  for  fear  the  French  would  capture  them !  He  set  the 
soldiers  to  work  building  a  useless  redoubt,  which  he  named  Fort  George. 

The  man  who  had  rebuilt  the 
bridges  broken  down  by  the 
French,  Colonel  Bradstreet,  had 
a  plan  which  he  wished  to  put 
into  execution  —  the  capture  of 
Fort  Frontenac,  near  the  present 
town  of  Kingston,  in  Canada,  on 


the  northern  shore  of  Ontario. 

"  We  can  do  it,"  he  said.  He 
knew  that  there  was  but  a  small 
garrison  to  defend  it,  for  Mont- 
calm  had  gathered  all  the  availa 
ble  soldiers  to  the  defence  of  Ti- 
conderoga.  He  persuaded  Gen 
eral  Abercrombie  to  call  a  Coun 
cil  of  War,  and  obtained  permis 
sion  to  carry  out  his  plan.  He 
went  up  the  Mohawk  with  seven 
hundred  men  from  Massachusetts, 

28 


FORT   GEOKGE. 


434:  OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

eleven  hundred  from  New  York,  made  a  speech  to  the  Iroquois,  and 
prevailed  upon  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  warriors  to  join  him.  He 
hastened  in  boats  from  Oswego  along  the  lake  shore,  and  on  the  25th  of 
August  landed  at  Fort  Frontenac.  Some  of  the  garrison  fled :  the  few 
remaining  surrendered  themselves,  and  everything  in  and  around  the 
fort — thirty  cannon,  six  mortars,  nine  vessels  in  the  harbor,  each  carry 
ing  from  eight  to  eighteen  guns,  and  loaded  with  supplies  for  Fort  Du 
Quesne.  He  destroyed  the  place,  and  returned  with  the  prisoners  and 
plunder,  not  losing  a  man.  The  country  took  notice  that  a  backwoods 
man  had  planned  it,  that  Americans,  without  the  lifting  of  a  finger  on 
the  part  of  British  officers  or  soldiers,  carried  out  the  undertaking. 

A  British  fleet,  under  Admiral  Boscawen,  and  an  army  under  Gen 
erals  Amherst  and  Wolfe,  captured  Louisburg  in  June,  causing  great  re 
joicing  in  England  and  in  the  colonies. 

Another  expedition  was  on  the  march  westward  over  the  Alleghanies 
toward  the  Ohio.  General  Joseph  Forbes  was  commander ;  he  was  sick, 
slowly  wasting  away,  and  had  to  be  carried  on  a  litter.  He  had  twelve 
hundred  and  fifty  Highlanders,  twenty-seven  hundred  and  fifty  Pennsyl- 
vanians,  under  John  Armstrong,  and  nineteen  hundred  Virginians,  under 
George  Washington.  With  the  Pennsylvania  troops  was  a  young  man 
by  the  name  of  Benjamin  West,  whom  the  world  afterward  heard  of  as 
a  great  painter,  and  a  boy  thirteen  years  old,  named  Anthony  Wayne, 
whom  the  world  also  heard  from.  General  Forbes  sent  Colonel  Boquet 
in  advance  to  a  place  called  Loyal  Hanna. 

"  There  are  only  five  hundred  French  and  three  hundred  Indians  at 
Fort  Du  Quesne,"  said  the  Indian  scouts  to  Boquet,  who  sent  Major  Grant 
to  reconnoitre  the  fort.  The  Virginians  and  Highlanders  climbed  the 
mountains,  and  made  their  way  stealthily  through  the  forest.  Major 
Grant  was  to  reconnoitre,  not  to  bring  on  a  fight ;  but  why  not  put  his 
men  in  ambush,  draw  the  French  into  it,  cut  them  down,  and  make  him 
self  master  of  Fort  Du  Quesne  ?  If  he  were  to  accomplish  it,  what  honor ! 
He  sent  a  few  men  toward  the  fort  —  not  knowing  that  four  hundred 
Frenchmen  under  Aubrey  had  arrived  to  re-enforce  the  garrison.  The 
French  and  Indians  poured  out  of  the  fort,  fell  upon  the  first  party,  drove 
it  back  upon  the  second,  fell  upon  that,  killing,  wounding,  or  taking  pris 
oners  two  hundred  and  ninety.  Grant  himself  was  taken  prisoner. 

November  came.  There  was  snow  upon  the  mountains,  and  winter 
would  soon  be  setting  in.  Forbes  was  still  fifty  miles  from  Fort  Du 
Quesne.  "It  is  too  late  to  go  on;  we  cannot  take  Fort  Du  Quesne  this 
year,"  said  the  officers  in  council. 


TWO  CIVILIZATIONS. 


435 


The  council  was  in  session  when  the  scouts  brought  in  three  prisoners, 
"  The  garrison  is  weak.  Colonel  Bradstreet  has  captured  Fort  Frontenat 
and  the  provisions  which  were  intended  for  Du  Quesne,"  they  said. 

"Let  us  go  on.  Let  me  have  twenty-five  hundred  picked  men,"  was 
Washington's  plea. 

General  Forbes  granted  the  request.  Washington  did  not  select  any 
of  the  king's  troops,  but  strong  men  accustomed  to  climbing  mountains 
and  enduring  hardships.  The  men  filled  their  knapsacks  with  provisions. 
It  was  fifty  miles  to  the  fort  through  an  unbroken  wilderness.  John 


TAKING    POSSESSION    OF    FORT    DU    QUESNE. 


Armstrong  was  sent  in  advance,  with  one  thousand  men,  to  open  a  road. 
In  five  days  they  were  within  seventeen  miles  of  the  fort.  On  the  24th 
of  November  the  whole  army  was  only  two  miles  distant. 

The  officers  in  the  service  of  the  King  of  France  had  planted  their 
forts  along  the  Ohio,  the  Illinois,  and  the  Mississippi ;  they  had  done  what 
they  could  to  secure  the  vast  empire  for  their  sovereign,  who  was  ever 
thinking  more  of  his  own  personal  comfort  and  pleasure  than  of  the  wel 
fare  of  his  people,  or  the  building  up  of  his  empire ;  but,  neglected  and 
unsustained,  they  could  no  longer  hope  to  keep  back  the  wave  of  English 
civilization  and  power  rolling  over  the  Alleghanies.  At  the  best  they 
could  make  but  a  feeble  resistance  to  the  seven  thousand  English  ready 


436  OLD  TIMES   IN  THE   COLONIES. 

to  encircle  them ;  and  the  disheartened  garrison,  reduced  to  five  hundred, 
setting  fire  to  the  fort  and  buildings,  at  midnight  stepped  into  their  boats 
and  floated  down  the  Ohio,  abandoning  forever  the  gate- way  of  the  great 
West. 

The  English  sentinels  pacing  their  rounds  saw  the  western  sky  aglow. 
On  the  morning  of  November  25th,  1758,  the  Pennsylvanians  and  Vir 
ginians  reached  the  fort,  whose  walls  were  still  standing,  and  John  Arm 
strong  raised  the  British  flag  above  them. 

"I  re-name  it  Pittsburgh,"  said  General  Forbes — in  honor  of  the  far- 
seeing,  clear-headed,  resolute  man,  whose  indomitable  will  and  energy  was 
making  England  supreme  in  the  Western  World. 


THE   DESTINY  OF  AN  EMPIRE. 


437 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE  DESTINY  OF  AN  EMPIRE. 

WONDERFUL  the  powers  of  the  human  intellect  and  the  human 
will !  William  Pitt  was  infusing  every  man  in  England  with  his 
own  enthusiasm  in  carrying  on  the  struggle  against  France.  English  can 
non  were  thundering  in  Germany,  in  the  West  Indies,  on  the  plains  of 
India,  and  with  the  opening  of  1759  the  contest  was  to  be  renewed  in 
America.  He  spread  out  the  map  of  America,  and  himself  planned  the 
campaign.  One  army,  under  General 
Prideaux  and  Sir  William  Johnson, 
was  to  go  west  from  Albany,  to  capt 
ure  the  fort  which  the  French  had 
built  on  the  bluff  below  the  Falls  of 
Niagara,  where  ever  since  the  day 
when  La  Salle  sailed  up  the  Great 
Lakes  the  flag  of  France  had  floated 
serenely  in  the  air.  By  capturing 
that  fort,  all  communication  would  be 
cut  off  between  Canada  and  the  chain 
of  forts  on  the  upper  lakes,  and  along 
the  Ohio  and  Mississippi.  Its  capt 
ure  would  paralyze  the  power  of 
France  in  the  Great  West. 

The  second  army,  under  General 
Amherst,  was  to  make  one  more  at 
tempt  against  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 

Point,  and,  capturing  those  places,  was  to  move  north  to  Montreal  and 
strike  at  the  heart  of  Canada. 

The  third  army,  under  General  Wolfe,  was  to  sail  from  Halifax  and 
Louisburg,  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  to  capture  Quebec.  A  great  fleet  of 
war-ships,  under  Admiral  Loudoun,  was  to  accompany  the  army.  If  Que 
bec  could  be  captured,  there  would  be  an  end  to  French  rule  in  Canada. 


WILLIAM    PITT. 


438 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


William  Pitt  was  not  only  firing  all  England  with  his  enthusiasm,  but 
America.  In  every  village  in  New  England  and  New  York  were  men 
ready  to  enlist — seven  thousand  in  Massachusetts,  five  thousand  in  Con 
necticut,  several  regiments  from  New  Hampshire,  one  thousand  men  from 
New  Jersey.  The  people  taxed  themselves  willingly,  indulging  the  fond 
hope  that  the  time  had  at  last  arrived  when  they  could  conquer  Canada 
and  put  an  end  to  the  great  struggle. 

The  Marquis  de  Montcalm,  far-sighted,  clear-headed,  and  brave,  saw 
what  great  preparation  England  was  making,  and  wrote  pathetic  letters  to 


MONTKKAL,    1  7GO.        (FKOM    AN    OLD    1'RINT.) 

France  calling  for  help.  He  had  only  thirty-two  hundred  French  sol 
diers.  Of  the  Canadians  not  more  than  seven  thousand  could  be  called 
into  service.  There  were  only  about  eighty  thousand  people  in  Canada, 
all  told.  The  English  were  putting  fifty  thousand  men  into  the  field. 
He  must  have  supplies.  The  fields  were  untilled.  There  were  few  cattle 
and  horses  to  be  had.  The  soldiers  had  not  been  paid.  There  was  very 
little  money  in  Canada;  but  promises  to  pay,  printed  on  paper,  to  the 
amount  of  more  than  forty  million  livres  had  been  issued.  No  one 
wanted  any  more  paper-promises,  which  were  not  money. 

"Without  a  good  fortune,  which  I  cannot  expect,  or  unless  the  Eng 
lish  make  blunders,  they  will  take  Canada  this  year,  or  in  the  next  cam 
paign,"  wrote  Montcalm  to  Belleisle,  the  Prime-minister  of  Louis  XV., 
pleading  for  help. 


THE  DESTINY  OF  AN  EMPIRE.  439 

The  King  of  France  was  spending  his  money  in  other  ways.  What 
cared  he  for  business  ?  He  was  forty  years  old.  Life  had  been  a  constant 
round  of  pleasure.  Every  sense  had  been  indulged,  until  there  was  no 
enjoyment.  The  woman  whom  he  had  created  Marchioness  de  Pompa 
dour  could  wind  him  round  her  little  finger.  She  was  ever  getting  up 
new  amusements  for  him — travelled  with  him  from  place  to  place.  Their 
thoughts  were  of  the  little  comedies  which  she  got  up  in  the  Tuileries, 
the  lawn-parties  at  Fontainebleau,  instead  of  affairs  of  State.  Madame 
de  Pompadour  was  fond  of  porcelain,  and  persuaded  Louis  to  establish 
a  manufactory  at  Sevres.  She  loved  magnificent  houses,  and  the  king 
built  them  for  her  with  costly  apartments,  elaborately  furnished.  He 
could  spend  millions  of  livres  to  gratify  this  woman,  but  the  bills  sent 
from  Quebec  by  Montcalrn  were  all  unpaid.  The  king  could  give  break 
fasts  to  the  courtiers  costing  thousands  of  livres,  but  not  a  dollar  to  up 
hold  the  power  of  France  in  America. 

The  spring  opened,  and  General  Prideaux,  with  twelve  hundred  men, 
several  cannon,  and  mortars,  sailed  from  Oswego  in  schooners  and  boats 
along  the  south  shore  of  Ontario,  landing  at  a  little  inlet  six  miles  from 
Fort  Niagara.  The  troops  marched  through  the  woods  and  took  posi 
tion  close  to  the  fort,  planted  their  cannon,  and  opened  fire. 

There  were  only  a  few  French  soldiers  in  the  fort,  but  an  army  of 
twelve  hundred  was  hastening  to  their  relief.  The  French  commander, 
D'Aubrey,  had  collected  them  from  the  forts  along  the  Ohio,  the  Wa- 
bash,  Detroit,  and  Mackinac.  They  came  down  Lake  Erie  in  boats, 
landed  above  the  falls,  and  hastened  to  attack  the  English.  General 
Prideaux  had  been  killed  by  the  bursting  of  a  cohorn,  but  Sir  William 
Johnson  posted  his  men  to  meet  them.  The  Iroquois  scouts  told  Sir 
William  of  all  the  movements  of  the  French,  who  made  their  appear 
ance  on  the  morning  of  July  24th.  The  Iroquois  and  Algonquins  came 
face  to  face.  The  Iroquois  made  a  sign  for  a  parley,  which  the  Algon 
quins  answered  with  a  wild  yell,  and  the  battle  began — the  Iroquois  run 
ning  out  on  both  sides  of  the  French  and  firing  upon  them,  while  the  Eng 
lish  rushed  upon  them,  pouring  in  a  volley.  The  French  had  not  looked 
for  such  an  onset.  They  turned  and  fled,  followed  by  the  Iroquois,  who 
shot  them  down  in  great  numbers.  In  a  few  minutes  the  fight  was  over, 
but  the  pursuit  was  kept  up  until  the  Iroquois  were  out  of  breath,  and 
returned  to  count  their  scalps  and  divide  their  plunder.  No  help  could 
come  to  the  garrison,  which  hung  out  a  white  flag  and  surrendered — six 
hundred  in  number — with  all  their  cannon  and  supplies. 

Once  more  a  great  army,  numbering  eleven  thousand,  with  drums 


440  OLD   TIMES  IN   THE  COLONIES. 

beating  and  banners  waving,  was  making  its  way  across  the  limpid  waters 
of  Lake  George. 

Montcalm  was  at  Quebec,  and  General  Bourlarnasque,  who  had  aided 
in  the  defeat  of  Abercrombie,  was  in  command  of  the  French.  The  lines 
of  defence  were  stronger  than  ever,  but  the  French  general  had  few 
troops.  Montcalm  had  none  to  send  him.  He  might  hold  out  for 
awhile ;  but  there  was  little  hope  of  maintaining  the  fortress  against  such 
an  army  and  against  such  a  general,  who,  though  slow  to  move,  was  no 
coward,  and  who  had  captured  Louisburg. 

The  English  landed.  Again  there  was  a  skirmish  at  the  saw-mill, 
and  the  English  lay  at  night  on  their  arms.  The  French,  all  except  four 
hundred,  instead  of  preparing  for  battle,  were  stealing  away  in  boats  to 
Crown  Point. 

Morning  dawned,  and  the  English  discovered  that  the  lines  which 
Montcalm  had  so  bravely  defended  were  deserted  ;  but  the  French  were 
still  holding  the  fort,  and  as  they  advanced  the  cannon  began  to  thunder. 
The  English  brought  up  their  artillery,  and  all  day  long  shot  and  shell 
were  flying,  and  the  roar  of  the  cannonade  echoing  far  way.  Night  came, 
and  the  uproar  ceased ;  but  the  four  hundred  Frenchmen  left  behind  in 
the  fort  were  hard  at  work  loading  all  the  cannon  on  the  walls  to  the 
muzzle,  laying  trains  of  fuses  from  gun  to  gun,  and  to  the  magazine, 
where  there  were  many  barrels  of  powder.  All  was  ready.  The  soldiers 
stepped  silently  into  their  boats,  which,  one  by  one,  glided  away.  One 
boat  remained,  one  soldier  still  lingered  in  the  fort.  Ten  o'clock.  He 
lighted  a  fuse,  leaped  into  the  boat,  and  was  gone. 

What  a  cannonade  was  that  which  burst  out  from  the  ramparts  of 
Ticonderoga !  louder,  more  terrific  than  ever  before,  the  air  filled  with 
shot  and  shell  and  bursting  cannon,  and  then  the  walls  of  the  fort  rose, 
lifted  far  above  the  forest  trees — timbers,  stones,  masses  of  rock  and 
earth,  cannon-balls,  and  bursting  shells.  Ticonderoga,  built  at  such  cost 
to  France,  defended  so  bravely  by  Montcalm,  was  a  heap  of  ruins. 

General  Amherst  despatched  the  Eangers  of  New  Hampshire  in  pur 
suit  of  the  French.  Major  Stark,  with  two  hundred  men,  reached  Crown 
Point,  and  found  a  lofty  cross  standing  in  the  centre  of  the  fortress, 
erected  to  commemorate  the  victory  of  Montcalm  at  Ticonderoga;  but 
the  fort  had  been  destroyed,  and  the  French  were  fleeing  toward  Canada. 

How  easy  it  is  to  miss  a  great  opportunity !  The  French  had  aban 
doned  their  two  strong  fortresses  at  Amherst's  approach.  The  way  was 
open  for  his  advance  to  Canada.  The  flotilla  which  had  brought  him  to 
Crown  Point  would  avail  to  transport  him  to  St.  John's,  It  was  a  short 


THE  DESTINY  OF  AN  EMPIRE. 

march  from  there  to  Montreal.  It  was  midsummer;  the  troops  were 
eager  to  move  on.  If  he  were  to  take  Montreal  his  name  would  go  down 
the  ages. 

"There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men, 

Which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune." 

General  Amherst  halted  at  Crown  Point,  and  set  the  ship-carpenters 
to  construct  schooners  and  other  vessels.     He  planned  a  new  fort,  with 
walls  thirty-five  feet  thick,  and  twenty-five  high,  of  solid  masonry.     Au 
gust  and  September  passed,  the  troops 
idling  away  their  time.     In  October  the 
vessels  were  ready,  and  sailed  down  the 
lake.     The  sailors  disarmed  the  French 
vessels,  drove  them  ashore,  or  sent  them 
to  the  bottom  of  the  lake.     It  was  the 
middle  of  October  —  too  late  to  move 
upon       Montreal,    General       Amherst 
thought,   and   fixed   his    army   for    the 
winter  at  Crown  Point.     Through  want 
of  energy   the   great   opportunity   had 
passed  by,  never  to  return. 

There  was  one  man  who  was  deter 
mined  to  make  the  most  of  this  oppor 
tunity — James  Wolfe,  commander  of  the 
army  sailing  from  Halifax  and  Louis- 
burg  to  Quebec.  It  was  an  imposing 
scene — twenty- two  ships  of  the  line, 
twenty- eight  frigates,  and  a  great  fleet 
of  vessels  carrying  supplies  and  troops, 
moving  up  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  ves 
sels  came  to  anchor  at  the  Island  of  Orleans.  General  Wolfe,  standing 
on  the  deck  of  his  vessel,  looking  north,  beheld  the  Falls  of  Montmorency 
— a  white  sheet,  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high — flashing  in  the  sunlight, 
the  tide  rippling  upon  the  pebbled  beach  at  their  base,  while  above  the 
water  was  pouring  down  a  rocky  gorge.  Small  pines  and  hemlocks — a 
thick,  dense  forest  clothed  the  landscape  in  perpetual  green.  Up  the 
river,  eight  miles  away,  he  beheld  the  citadel  of  Quebec  on  the  perpen 
dicular  cliff,  rising  two  hundred  feet  above  the  river — the  flag  of  France 
floating  serenely  above  it.  Between  the  cliff  and  Montmorency  was  a  lit 
tle  stream  —  the  St.  Charles — joining  the  St.  Lawrence  from  the  north. 


442 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  COLONIES. 


Upon  the  point  of  land  between  the  two  streams  was  the  old  town  of 

Quebec. 

Between  the  St.  Charles  and  the  Montmorency  Montcalm  had  posted 

his  army,  with  batteries  along  the  shore, 
to  sweep  the  English  with  grape  and 
canister  if  they  should  attempt  to  land. 
The  cliff  was  high,  sharp,  and  steep 
above  the  town.  The  summit  of  the 
cliff  was  a  level  plateau — the  Plains  of 
Abraham.  For  nine  miles  above  the 
city  Montcalm  had  placed  batteries  and 
posted  troops  to  protect  any  possible 
landing-place. 

General  Wolfe  had  ten  thousand 
men  and  a  great  fleet.  Montcalm  had 
nearly  as  many  men.  The  Canadians 
rallied  at  his  call — old  white-haired  men, 
and  boys  of  fourteen.  Canada  was  their 
home.  Their  country,  their  religion — 
everything  most  dear  was  in  danger,  and 
they  were  ready  to  fight  to  the  bitter 
end. 

The  English  troops  landed  on  the 
Island  of  Orleans,  and  on  the  southern 
shore  opposite  Quebec.  The  war-ships  opened  fire  upon  the  town.  Red- 
hot  shot  were  sent  whirling  through  the  air,  crashing  into  the  houses,  and 
setting  them  on  fire. 

Along  the  shore,  under  the  cliff,  Montcalm  had  a  great  fleet  of  boats, 
filled  with  pitch-knots  and  smeared  with  tar.  At  midnight  the  sailors  of 
the  fleet  saw  the  boats  all  aflame  floating  down  with  the  current  upon 
them;  but  they  leaped  into  their  boats,  pulled  out  to  meet  the  floating 
flames,  and  pushed  them  aside  with  their  boat-hooks,  and  not  a  vessel 
was  harmed. 

General  Wolfe  gazed  upon  the  lines  of  Montcalm,  seeking  in  vain  to 
find  a  place  where  he  could  hope  to  land  his  army.  July  was  fast  passing 
away.  He  must  strike  somewhere.  The  white  sheet  of  Montmorency 
was  ever  before  him.  He  would  land  on  the  northern  shore,  and  some 
where  along  its  rocky  bed  he  would  find  a  place  to  cross  that  stream  and 
fall  upon  Montcalm.  The  troops  were  taken  to  the  landing-place  in 
boats.  There  was  a  fording-place  three  miles  from  the  St.  Lawrence; 


MONTCALM. 


THE  DESTINY  OF  AN  EMPIRE.  443 

but  Montcalm  had  posted  troops  to  protect  it.  When  the  tide  was  out 
the  beach  was  bare  at  this  part  of  the  falls.  He  resolved  to  have  a  por 
tion  of  his  men  go  across  the  narrow  passage  and  secure  a  footing,  while 
the  remainder  of  the  army  would  land  directly  from  the  boats.  The 
troops  were  placed  in  position,  the  signal  given.  The  air  was  filled  with 
shot  and  shell — the  war-ships  running  out  their  guns  and  opening  fire 
upon  the  French  lines ;  while  Montcalm's  guns,  paying  no  attention  to 
the  vessels,  swept  the  beach.  Some  of  the  boats  were  injured,  others 
reached  the  shore.  The  troops  landed.  Some  advanced  before  all  were 
ready,  and  the  French  drove  them  back.  The  tide  was  rising.  The  en 
terprise  had  failed,  and  the  English  were  obliged  to  retreat,  losing  nearly 
five  hundred  in  the  attack. 

August  came.  General  Murray,  with  twelve  hundred  men,  went  up 
the  St.  Lawrence  in  boats,  trying  in  vain  to  land.  He  only  captured  a 
few  sick  soldiers  left  in  a  hospital,  who  had  some  news  to  tell — that  the 
French  had  abandoned  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point. 

Welcome  the  news  to  General  Wolfe.  Amherst  soon  would  be  at 
Montreal.  Before  long  the  thunder  of  his  guns  would  be  heard  open 
ing  the  way  to  Quebec.  Days  passed,  but  his  ears  detected  no  sound 
of  distant  cannon.  Indians  said  that  Montreal  was  still  in  the  hands  of 
the  French.  What  should  be  done?  September  had  como.  Sixty  days 
more,  and  the  fleet  and  army  must  go,  for  winter  would  be  upon  them. 

"  I  am  at  a  loss  what  to  do,"  were  the  almost  despairing  words  written 
to  Pitt. 

The  spirits  of  the  French  were  rising.     Montcalm  had  completely  baf- 


MONTCALM  S    HEAD-QUARTERS. 


fled  the  English.     Nature  had  done  so  much,  that  his  tireless  activity  and 
eternal  vigilance  had  accomplished  the  rest.     The  spirit  of  Wolfe  chafed 


444 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


under  the  disappointment ;  fever  set  in :  his  cheeks  were  hollow,  but 
his  soul  was  on  fire.  He  gazed  upon  the  high  and  rocky  cliff.  If  he 
could  but  get  his  army  up  there.  Ah !  he  sees  a  ravine — a  cove — a  foot 
path  winding  up  the  cliff.  Frenchmen  and  Indians  now  and  then  have 
climbed  it ;  Montcalm's  vigilance  has  protected  it.  Wolfe  can  see  the 
white  tents  on  the  bluff — a  company  of  soldiers  guard  it.  Wolfe  forms 


ST.  JOHN'S    GATE,  QUEBEC. 

his  plans.  He  will  land  at  midnight  in  the  cove,  climb  the  bank,  surprise 
the  hundred  men  guarding  the  path.  Before  re-enforcements  from  Que 
bec  can  reach  the  spot  the  English  will  be  strong  enough  to  hold  it. 
He  will  mislead  Montcalm  by  making  him  believe  that  he  is  intending 
to  land  below  Quebec. 

What  is  it  Montcalm  sees,  looking  out  from  the  low-roofed  house  in 


THE  DESTINY  OF  AN  EMPIRE.  445 

which  he  has  established  his  head-quarters?  English  sailors  are  taking 
soundings  on  the  mud-flats  below  the  town  ;  an  officer  is  making  notes. 
Does  General  Wolfe  intend  to  land  at  night  at  the  mouth  of  the  St. 
Charles  ?  Something  is  going  on ;  boats  are  moving  to  and  fro — there 
is  a  bustle  of  preparation.  The  sun  goes  down,  and  darkness  settles  over 
the  scene.  The  French  sentinels  see  a  fleet  of  boats  putting  out  from 
the  vessels  below  the  town,  but  they  do  not  see  the  boats  that  have  crept 
up  from  the  English  camp  along  the  southern  shore  several  miles  above 
the  town. 

General  Wolfe  has  laid  his  plans.  He  has  passed  the  period  of  vex 
ation,  and  his  mind  is  tranquil. 

James  Gray,  whose  home  is  near  the  green  meadow  of  Kunnymede, 
where  the  barons  compelled  John  Lackland  to  sign  the  Great  Charter  of 
Liberty,  has  just  given  to  the  world  an  exquisite  poem — "  An  Elegy  in  a 
Country  Church-yard."  He  recites  the  stanzas  as  the  boats  glide  noise 
lessly  in  the  stream — 

"*The  boast  of  heraldry,  the  pomp  of  power, 

And  all  that  beauty,  all  that  wealth  e'er  gave, 
Await  alike  the  inevitable  hour — 

The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave.'" 

"  I  would  prefer  being  the  author  of  that  poem  to  the  glory  of  beating 
the  French  to-morrow,"  he  says.  He  has  given  his  last  instructions.  The 
boats  approach  the  cove.  Some  of  them  sweep  past  it ;  but  the  soldiers 
leap  upon  the  pebbled  beach.  They  climb 
the  steep  bank,  seize  hold  of  the  roots  of 
trees,  those  behind  giving  a  lift  to  those 
in  front.  No  one  speaks.  They  climb  in 
silence — broken  only  by  the  grinding  of 
their  boots  upon  the  rocks,  and  by  their 
labored  breathing.  "  Qui  vive  /"  It  is  the 
challenge  of  the  French  sentinel,  "Who 
goes  there?"  England,  a  new  civiliza 
tion —  the  beginning  of  a  new  order  of 
things  for  Canada  go  there !  Too  late  the 
challenge.  The  one  hundred  Frenchmen 

awake  from  their  sleep.      A  few  muskets      THK  PLACE  WHERE  WOLFE  LANDED. 

flash,  and  the  French  flee. 

The  rising  sun  throws  its  gleams  upon  ten  thousand  Englishmen 
standing  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham !  A  messenger  rides  in  hot  haste  to 
Montcalm  with  the  news. 


BATTLE    OF    QUEBEC. 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 

"  The  English  are  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham  !" 
"  Impossible  !"  said  Montcalm. 
"  They  are  there,  nevertheless,  monsieur." 
"  They  must  be  crushed  at  once." 

The  drums  beat  in  Quebec,  and  the  soldiers  of  France  hasten  out  of 

the  city  westward.  Montcalm  has 
five  thousand  men  ;  most  of  them 
are  Canadians,  who  have  left  their 
homes  to  take  part  in  the  cam 
paign.  General  Bourganville  is 
above  Quebec,  with  two  thousand. 
Yaudreuil  will  soon  be  at  hand 
with  fifteen  hundred ;  with  these 
Montcalm  will  sweep  the  English 
over  the  bluff  into  the  river.  The 
armies  stand  face  to  face  in  the 

open  field.  The  cannon  which  Montcalm  has  brought  up  open  fire,  and 
answering  replies  are  sent  back  by  the  two  small  pieces  which  the  Eng 
lish  have  dragged  up  the  bluff  with  ropes.  Two  lines  of  men  are  about 
to  fire  in  each  others'  faces  in  the  open  field.  At  Ticonderoga  the  French 
were  behind  breastworks  and  stumps,  but  now  they  must  meet  the  troops 
of  England  face  to  face,  with  nothing  to  shield  them. 

Montcalm  forms  his  men.  Fifteen  hundred  Canadians  are  to  advance 
and  begin  the  attack.  Under  cover  of  their  fire  he  will  advance  rapidly, 
pour  in  volley  after  volley,  and  hurl  the  English  over  the  cliff. 

Calmly  and  silently  the  Highlanders  and  Grenadiers  of  England  await 
the  attack :  Murray  on  the  right  wing,  nearest  the  river — General  Wolfe 
on  the  left. 

"  Keserve  your  fire  until  they  are  within  forty  yards !"  is  Wolfe's  last 
order. 

The  French  advance  rapidly,  firing  wildly.  A  few  men  drop  from 
the  English  ranks,  but  no  one  wavers.  Nearer  they  come,  Montcalm  urg 
ing  them  on.  The  English  raise  their  guns ;  there  is  a  flash,  a  roar,  and 
confusion  in  the  French  lines.  Montcalm's  ablest  general  falls;  but 
Montcalm  cheers  his  men,  and  the  fight  goes  on.  Another  volley  from 
the  Highlanders  and  Grenadiers.  The  French  lines  waver. 

"  Charge !"  Wolfe  gives  the  order,  and  the  English,  with  fixed  bayo 
nets,  advance.  A  bullet  tears  through  Wolfe's  wrist,  but  it  is  nothing. 
He  winds  his  handkerchief  around  it  and  leads  on  his  men.  Murray,  his 
second  commander,  goes  down  with  a  bullet  through  his  lungs.  A  second 


THE   DESTINY  OF  AN  EMPIRE.  447 

ball  strikes  Wolfe.  He  staggers.  His  aid  springs  to  support  him.  "  Let 
not  any  man  see  me  drop,"  he  says.  A  third  strikes  him  in  the  breast. 
The  soldiers  carry  him  to  the  rear.  He  is  faint,  but  drinks  a  glass  of 
water,  and  revives. 

The  French  are  fleeing.     "  They  run.     Hurrah  !  hurrah !" 

The  wild  cheers  of  the  English  mingling  with  the  uproar  of  battle 
reach  the  ears  of  the  dying  commander. 

"  Who  run  ?" 

"The  French." 

"  God  be  praised  !     I  die  happy  !" 

It  is  scarcely  fifteen  minutes  since  the  battle  began,  and  it  is  over. 
The  French  are  fleeing  to  Quebec ;  their  brave  commander  has  done  what 
he  could  to  save  New  France,  but  has  lost  the  battle,  and  is  borne  from 
the  field  mortally  wounded. 

Fifteen  minutes !  It  is  a  brief  space  of  time,  but  long  enough  to  de 
cide  the  destiny  of  an  empire ! 

While  General  Wolfe  is  taking  possession  of  Quebec,  General  Am- 
herst  is  sending  Captain  Kennedy,  accompanied  by  a  few  soldiers,  with 
overtures  of  peace,  to  the  St.  Francis  Indians.  It  is  the  tribe  which  for  a 
half  century  has  been  under  the  teachings  of  the  Jesuits.  They  have  a 
chapel.  Morning  and  evening  they  meet  at  the  tolling  of  the  bell  to  say 
their  prayers.  They  call  themselves  Christian  Indians,  but  are  barbarous 
and  inhuman.  They  seize  Captain  Kennedy  and  his  companions,  tie  them 
to  stakes  one  by  one,  kindle  fires  around  them,  and  dance  with  fiendish 
delight  while  they  are  burning.  For  a  third  of  a  century  this  tribe  has 
massacred  the  people  of  New  England,  and  General  Amherst  orders  Ma 
jor  Rogers  and  the  Rangers  of  New  Hampshire  to  punish  them. 

The  autumn  leaves  were  falling  and  the  nights  were  lengthening  when 
the  Rangers  started  in  boats  from  Crown  Point,  one  evening  after  sunset. 
They  were  two  hundred  in  number,  and  started  secretly,  that  no  one 
might  know  whither  they  had  gone.  Before  daybreak  they  landed,  drew 
their  boats  on  shore,  and  secreted  themselves  in  the  woods.  No  fire  was 
kindled,  so  that  no  column  of  blue  smoke  would  reveal  their  hiding-place. 

They  reached  Missisquoi  Bay,  at  the  northern  end  of  the  lake ;  from 
thence  it  was  seventy-five  miles  to  the  village  of  the  St.  Francis  tribe, 
through  a  pathless  forest.  They  must  not  only  travel  by  the  compass,  but 
cross  several  large  rivers,  wade  through  terrible  swamps  up  to  their  knees 
in  water,  their  feet  sinking  into  beds  of  moss  and  peat.  There  were  places 
where  hurricanes  had  swept  down  the  tall  trees,  which  blocked  their  way. 
There  was  little  game  to  be  had,  and  they  must  carry  their  provisions. 


448 


OLD  TIMES  IN  THE   COLONIES. 


Quite  likely  the  Indians  would  discover  them,  and  they  must  be  ever 
on  the  watch  against  surprise.  They  left  their  boats  and  marched  north 
east.  On  the  fifth  day  some  of  their  powder  took  fire ;  the  explosion 
burnt  several  soldiers,  and  Major  Rogers  was  obliged  to  send  them  back 


BURNING    THE    PRISONERS. 


to  Crown  Point,  reducing  his  number  to  one  hundred  and  forty  -  two 
Twenty-two  days  the  party  toiled  through  the  terrible  swamps. 

"  We  must  be  near  St.  Francis,"  said  Major  Rogers.     He  climbed  a 
tree  and  beheld  the  River  St.  Lawrence,  and  only  three  miles  away  the 


THE   DESTINY   OF  AN   EMPIRE.  451 

Indian  village  — a  street  with  rude  huts  and  wigwams,  and  the  chapel 
and  house  of  the  Jesuit  priests. 

The  Rangers  kept  perfectly  still  till  dark,  and  then  Major  Rogers  and 
two  others  stole  down  to  the  village.  They  could  hear  the  beating  of 
drums  and  the  whooping  of  the  savages.  Getting  nearer,  they  could  see 
the  Indians  holding  a  scalp-dance.  The  scalps  which  they  had  taken  from 
time  to  time — more  than  six  hundred  in  number — were  suspended  on 
poles.  The  savages  were  making  the  night  hideous  with  their  bowlings. 
Major  Rogers  took  note  of  all  that  he  saw,  and  crept  back  to  the  main 
body  of  the  Rangers,  determined  to  make  the  Indians  dance  to  another 
tune  before  morning. 

Two  o'clock.  The  howling  had  ceased ;  and  the  Indians,  exhausted 
by  their  contortions  in  the  dance,  were  asleep.  The  St.  Lawrence  was 
sweeping  on  calmly  and  silently  to  the  sea.  There  was  not  a  sound  to 
break  the  stillness  as  the  Rangers  crept  toward  the  village  and  closed 
around  it.  A  dog  barked ;  an  Indian  came  out  from  a  hut,  but  a  rifle 
bullet  brought  him  down.  Surprised,  amazed,  the  Indians  rushed  out, 
attempting  to  flee,  but  found  themselves  hemmed  in  on  every  side. 

"  Burn  the  town  !"  shouted  Major  Rogers. 

The  buildings,  all  except  three,  in  which  the  Indians  had  stored  their 
corn,  were  set  on  tire.  The  rifles  of  the  Rangers  and  the  devouring 
flames  quickly  did  their  work — wiping  out  the  town  and  more  than  two 
hundred  warriors.  The  women  and  children  were  spared.  Five  English 
captives  were  rescued. 

"  There  are  three  hundred  French  and  Indians  only  four  miles  from 
here,  and  you  never  will  get  back ;  they  will  soon  be  upon  you,"  said  the 
rescued  prisoners. 

Major  Rogers  knew  that  it  was  time  for  him  to  be  moving;  and  be 
fore  sunrise  he  was  on  his  return — not  to  Lake  Champlain,  but  toward  the 
head-waters  of  the  Connecticut.  The  French  and  Indians  pursued,  came 
up  with  a  party  of  the  Rangers,  and  captured  them.  The  other  Rangers 
suffered  terrible  hardships  before  they  reached  Charlestown,  in  New 
Hampshire.  But  they  accomplished  their  work ;  and  the  Indians,  who 
had  filled  so  many  homes  with  sorrow — the  most  savage  and  blood-thirsty 
in  Canada — as  a  tribe,  disappeared  forever. 

The  struggle  between  France  and  England  for  the  control  of  the 
Western  Continent  ended  with  the  surrender  of  Montreal  to  General 
Amherst  in  1760.  It  was  in  1609  that  Samuel  Champlain,  dreaming 
of  establishing  the  Empire  of  New  France,  became  the  ally  of  the  Algon- 


452 


OLD   TIMES  IN   THE   COLONIES. 


WOLFE   AND    MONTCALM's    MONUMENT. 

quins,  and  fired  a  shot  on  the  western  shore  of  Lake  Champlain  that 
made  the  Iroquois  the  enemies  of  France  and  the  allies  of  England.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  years  have  rolled  away  since  the  firing  of  that  gun. 
Throughout  the  period  two  civilizations  have  striven  for  mastery.  France 
has  been  fighting  to  establish  the  ideas  of  the  feudal  period — the  absolute 
authority  of  kings  and  popes  over  the  bodies  and  souls  of  men.  They 
are  the  ideas  of  a  by-gone  age.  The  thought  never  has  dawned  upon 
the  dull  intellects  of  the  King  of  France  and  his  ministers  that  the  peo 
ple  are  of  any  account ;  they  do  not  know  the  meaning  of  the  word.  Not 


THE  DESTINY  OF  AN  EMPIRE.  453 

so  the  men  of  New  England  and  New  York  marching  to  complete  the 
conquest  of  Canada.  Those  citizen  soldiers  have  been  obtaining  an  in 
sight  into  the  rights  which  God  has  given  to  men — of  individual  liberty, 
>f  self-government.  They  make  their  own  laws;  they  are  their  own 
masters.  They  will  render  allegiance  to  the  king  only  as  he  himself 
shall  respect  their  rights,  and  the  laws  which  they  may  make. 

Peace !  How  delightful  it  was !  No  more  would  the  Indian  steal 
upon  the  unsuspecting  settler;  no  more  the  midnight  alarm,  the  wild 
war-whoop,  the  gleaming  scalping-knife,  the  massacre,  or  the  captivity  ; 
no  more  weary  watchings  for  the  coming  of  the  foe ;  but  the  farmer 
could  follow  the  plough,  or  reap  the  ripening  grain,  or  traverse  the  wil 
derness  in  safety  and  security. 

Peace  brings  prosperity.  Fifteen  years  pass,  and  the  people  of  Amer 
ica,  educated  by  influences  and  conditions  all  unknown  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Atlantic,  announce  to  the  world  that  all  men  are  created  free  and 
equal,  and  endowed  with  inalienable  rights.  They  give  their  honor,  their 
fortunes,  their  lives  in  support  of  it.  Victory  crowns  their  efforts,  and 
the  colonies  become  a  nation,  independent,  powerful,  and  teacher  of  all 
the  nations,  by  the  power  of  an  illustrious  example  in  defence  of  Justice, 
Liberty,  and  the  Rights  of  Man. 


INDEX 


Abercrombie,  General,  408,  426,  430. 

Acadia  settled,  58. 

Alexander,  William,  settles  Newfoundland,  148. 

Amuret  IV.,  Sultan,  visited  by  Mary  Fisher,  45. 

Andros,  Sir  Edmund,  266. 

Annapolis  captured,  327. 

Arbitrary  rule  in  Massachusetts,  267. 

Argall,  Samuel,  96,  107. 

Armada,  Spanish,  73. 

Austin,  Anne,  219. 

B. 

Bacon's  Rebellion,  261. 
Baltimore  surveyed,  296. 
Barneveld,  John,  100,  113. 
Bastwick,  Rev.  Mr.,  206. 
Baxter,  Richard,  305. 
Beadle,  Thomas,  311. 
Bellows,  Benjamin,  403. 
Berkeley,  Sir  William,  259,  260. 

"        Bishop,  336. 
Berwick  attacked,  320. 
"       destroyed,  327. 
Billington,  John,  118. 
Blackstone,  William,  168. 

Block,  Adriaen,  builds  the  Onrust,  99 ;  in  Hol 
land,  101. 

Bloomaert,  Samuel,  145. 
Bogardus,  Dominie,  197. 
Boleyn,  Anne,  51. 
Bomazeen,  320. 
Boquet's  expedition,  434, 
Boscawen,  Admiral,  434. 
Boston  settled,  169. 
Braddock,  General,  377. 
army  of,  380. 
"        defeat  of,  382. 


Bradford,  William,  126, 129, 
Bradley,  Isaac,  280. 
Bradstreet,  Colonel,  428,  433,  435. 
Brant,  Joseph,  385. 
Brewster,  William,  121. 
Brittany  fishermen,  38,  39. 
Brookfield  attacked,  244. 
Brown,  John  and  Samuel,  164. 
"      Thomas,  physician,  305. 
Bunyan,  John,  236. 
Burden,  Anne,  219. 
Burgesses  of  Virginia,  108. 
Burial  Hill,  125. 
Bute,  Earl  of,  425. 

C. 

Cabeza  de  Vasca,  28-31. 

Cabot,  John  and  Sebastian,  17,  21. 

Calvert,  George,  293. 

Calvin,  John,  155. 

Canada,  Civilization  of,  421,  428. 
"       settled,  43. 

government,  255. 

Cancella,  Louis,  30. 

Canonicus,  180. 

Carolina  officers,  337. 

Carteret,  Philip,  Governor  of  New  Jersey,  292. 

Carder,  Jacques,  discovers  Canada,  29. 

Carver,  John,  Governor  of  Plymouth,  117. 

Casco  attacked  by  Indians,  321. 

Casimir,  Fort,  224. 

Cat-skin  caps,  40. 

Cavaliers,  211,213,  260. 

Champlain,  Samuel,  first  visit  to  America,  59; 
settles  Acadia,  59 ;  visits  the  St.  Lawrence, 
66  ;  joins  the  Algonquins  against  the  Iroquois, 
71 ;  plans  the  empire  of  New  France,  102 ; 
expedition  to  Lake  Huron,  104 ;  battle  with 
the  Iroquois,  105. 


456 


INDEX. 


Charles  I.,  King  of  England,  152 ;  arbitrary  acts, 
158;  conflict  with  Parliament,  159;  estab 
lishes  monopolies,  1 62  ;  struggle  with  Parlia 
ment,  207 ;  execution,  213. 

Charles  II.,  times  of,  234. 

IV.  of  Austria,  389. 

Charter  of  Connecticut,  229,  209. 
"       of  Massachusetts,  266. 

Christmas  at  Plymouth,  134. 

Christiansen,  Hendrick,  100. 

Church,  Benjamin,  325. 
Captain,  248. 

Clarendon,  Earl  of,  327. 

Clark,  Thomas,  mate  of  the  Mayflower,  121. 

Coddington,  William,  settles  Newport,  190. 

Colbert,  252. 

Conant,  Roger,  156. 

Connecticut  settled,  172. 

Conquest  of  Mexico,  24. 

Controversy  in  Massachusetts,  193. 

Copper  ore  in  New  Jersey,  291. 

Coronado  discovers  California,  30. 

Cortez,  Hernando,  23. 

Cotton,  Rev.  John,  165. 

Cradock,  Matthew,  1 65,  166. 

Cranmer,  Archbishop,  303. 

Crashaw,  Rev,  Mr.,  91. 

Cromwell,  Oliver,  207,  219. 

Crown  Point  abandoned  by  the  French,  440. 

Crusaders,  39. 

Culpepper,  Governor,  262,  369. 

D. 

Dare,  Virginia,  35. 

Davenport,  Rev.  John,  183. 

Davis,  Captain,  carried  to  Canada,  281. 

Deerfield  attacked,  322. 

Defence  of  Fort  William  Henry,  411. 

De  Guast,  Pierre,  58. 

De  Guercheville,  Madame,  92,  94,  95. 

Delaware,  Lord,  91. 

"         settled,  145. 
De  Lamberville,  Jean,  254. 
De  la  Motte,  Jesuit,  96. 
De  la  Roche,  Marquis,  55,  56. 
De  Monts,  58,  62. 

Denonville,  Governor  of  Canada,  256. 
De  Rouville,  279,  322. 
De  Saussage,  94. 
De  ISoto,  Ferdinand,  29,  30. 
De  Tliet,  Father,  96. 


'De  Vries.  Captain,  195. 
I  Dieskau,  Baron,  384,  385,  387. 
Dinwiddie,  Governor,  368,  370. 
Dominic  de  Gourges,  33. 
Dominican  priests,  30. 
Dorchester,  Georgia,  346. 
'          merchants,  156. 
*'•          Massachusetts,  345. 
"          South  Carolina,  343. 
Dover,  New  Hampshire,  142,  249,  273. 
Drake,  Sir  Francis,  33. 
Drayton  Hall,  340,  341. 
Du  Quesne,  Marquis  of,  373. 
Dustin,  Hannah,  285. 
"       Thomas,  285. 
Duxbury  settled,  139. 
Dyer,  William  and  Mary,  219. 

E. 

Bayers,  Mrs.,  conceals  Goffand  Whalley,  239. 
Eelkins,  Captain,  196. 
Edge  Hill,  Battle  of,  210. 
Eliot,  John,  159. 

"        "      missionary  to  Indians,  243. 
Emigration  to  Connecticut,  174. 

to  Virginia,  214,  264. 
Endicott,  John,  157, 178. 
Exeter  settled,  193. 

F. 

Fairfax,  Lord,  369,  370. 

Fenwick,  Alice,  176. 

Fire  in  London,  233. 

Fisher,  Mary,  218,  219. 

Fisheries  of  Newfoundland,  21,  33, 37. 

Florida  discovered,  23. 

"       settled,  31. 
Flotilla  on  Lake  George,  427. 
Fort  Du  Quesne,  375,  435. 

"    Frontenac  captured,  439. 

"    George,  142. 

"    Good  Hope,  1 72. 

"    La  Bceuf,  372. 

"    Necessity,  375. 

"    Niagara  captured,  439. 
Forbes,  General,  435. 
Fox,  George,  52,  53,  216. 
Fox-hunting,  369. 
Francis  I.,  King  of  France,  24. 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  377. 
Frontenac,  Louis,  251,  252,  254,  277,  278. 


INDEX. 


457 


Fry,  Colonel  Joshua,  374. 

Fur  trade,  40,41,  146,  148,  252. 

G. 

Games  in  England,  83. 
Gates,  Thomas,  89. 
Georgia  settled,  350. 
Gilbert,  Sir  Humphrey,  33,  34. 
Gist,  Christopher,  372. 
Godyn,  Samuel,  145. 
Goff,  John,  236,  248. 
Gold,  Thirst  for,  60. 
Gomez,  Stephen,  25. 
Gorges,  Fernando,  62,  64,  141. 
Governors,  Gathering  of,  377. 
Gulf-stream,  19. 
Gunpowder  Plot,  75. 
Gustavus  Adolphus,  199. 

H. 

Habeas  Corpus  Act,  85. 

Hakluyt,  Richard,  57. 

Hale,  Sir  Matthew,  305. 

Hampden,  John,  162. 

Hampton  settled,  91. 

Harding's,  Stephen,  fight  with  Indians,  322. 

Harvard  College  established,  187. 

Haverhill  attacked  by  Indians,  281. 

Hawkins,  John,  46, 

Heard,  Elizabeth,  befriended  by  an  Indian,  274. 

Hendrick,  386. 

Henrietta  Maria,  152. 

Henry  IV.  of  France  murdered,  88. 

"      VIII.  of  England,  51. 
Hertel,  Fran9ois,  attacks  Haverhill,  326. 
Higginson,  Rev.  Francis,  163. 
High  Commission,  85. 
Highlanders  at  Ticonderoga,  426. 
Hilton,  Colonel,  328. 

"      William  and  Edward,  settle  Dover,  142. 
Hollis,  Denzel,  159. 
Holmes,  William,  settles  Windsor,  Connecticut, 

172. 

Honfleur  fishermen,  37. 
Hooker,  Rev.  Thomas,  emigrates  to  Connecticut, 

175. 
Hopkins,  Matthew,  witch-finder,  304. 

11        Stephen,  130. 
Horsmenden,  Judge,  359. 
Hosset,  Gillis,  145. 
Houghton  Hall,  dinner  to  James  I.,  78. 


Howe,  Lord,  430. 

Hudson  River  visited  by  Stephen  Gomez,  25. 
"      visited  by  Henry  Hudson,  71. 
Hughson,  John,  359-361. 
Huguenots,  30,  148,341. 
Hunt,  Captain,  sells  Indians  into  slavery,  98. 
Hutchinson,  Ann,  192,  205. 
Lucy,  80. 

I. 

Inquisition,  352. 

Ironsides,  men  of  Cromwell.  211. 

Iroquois  Indians,  53,  69,  256,  257,  258. 

J. 

James  I.,  King  of  England,  74  ;  dines  at  Hough- 
ton  Hall,  78  ;  decree  in  regard  to  sports,  79  ; 
entertains  the  King  of  Denmark,  84  ;  sends 
thieves  to  Virginia,  107  ;  death,  152. 

James  II.,  232,  265,  270,  271. 

Jamestown,  settlement  of,  63  ;  confusion  at,  90; 
cattle  sent  to,  "*1  ;  settlers  purchase  wives, 
109 ;  first  slaves  bought,  109  ;  massacre  of 
inhabitants,  110  ;  destroyed,  262. 

Jesuits  founded,  49  ;  influence  in  the  world,  51; 
hated  by  the  people  of  England,  72 ;  connect 
ed  with  Gunpowder  Plot,  76 ;  connected  with 
murder  of  Henry  IV.,  88;  far-reaching  plans, 
93,  94  ;  interfere  in  Canadian  affairs,  147 ;  ef 
forts  to  convert  the  Iroquois,  254;  influence 
the  Indians  of  Maine,  273;  mission  to  St. 
Francis  Indians,  320 ;  Father  Rale  and  the 
Norridgewock  Indians,  329,  330. 

Johnson,  General.  387. 
"        Isaac.  165. 
"        Lady  Arabella,  165. 

Jonson,  Ben,  poet,  82. 

K. 

Keezar,  John,  281. 
Kempthorn,  Simon,  218. 
Keppel,  Admiral,  379. 
Kieft,  William,  198-201 
Kilburn,  John,  403. 
King  Philip's  War,  241 

"     William's  War,  271. 
Kirk,  David,  captures  Quebec,  148. 


Labor  in  South  Carolina,  349. 

La  Montague,  Doctor,  198. 

Lane,  Ralph,  carries  tobacco  to  London,  44. 


458 


INDEX. 


Las  Casas,  Bishop,  45. 

Laud,  Archbishop,  207,  209. 

Leet,  Governor,  238. 

Legacy  of  Blood,  318. 

Lent,  37. 

Locke's,  John,  plan  of  government,  337, 

London  Company,  63. 

Loudoun,  Earl  of,  408,  410,  419. 

Louis  XIV.,  254,  319. 

Louisburg,391,396,  407. 

Lovewell's  expedition,  331. 

Loyola,  Ignatius,  49. 

Lyford,  John,  156. 

Lyman,  General,  387. 

M. 

Manhattan  settled,  143. 
Marston  Moor,  Battle  of,  211. 
Maryland  settled,  294. 

"        officers,  295. 
Mason,  John,  141, 179. 
Massachusetts  Company,  162. 
Massacre  at  Fort  William  Henry. 

"        at  Jamestown,  110. 

*'        of  Huguenots,  32. 

•*        of  Indians  by  the  Dutch,  203. 
Massasoit  visits  Plymouth,  122,  131. 
Mather,  Cotton,  313. 
Maverick,  Samuel,  168. 
May-poles,  206,  235. 
Membertu,  62,  89. 
Merry  Mount,  137. 
Ministry  of  George  II.,  388. 
Minuet,  Peter,  143,  144,  200. 
Mississippi  River  discovered,  28. 
Montmorenci,  Duke  of,  146. 
Montreal  attacked  by  Iroquois,  258. 
Morgan,  Daniel,  378. 
Morton,  Thomas,  137. 

Moulton,  General,  accused  of  being  a  witch,  309. 
Munroe,  Colonel,  defends  Fort  William  Henry, 

418. 
Murray,  General,  443. 

N. 

Narragansett  Bay  discovered,  24. 
Naseby,  Battle  of,  212. 
Neff,  Mary,  286. 
Negro  tragedy,  357. 
New  Albion,  33. 
"    Amsterdam,  231,  233. 


Newbury  settled,  173. 

New  Hampshire  settled,  142. 

"    Haven  settled,  183. 

"    Jersey  settled,  291. 
Newport  settled,  190. 
New  York  settled,  142. 
Ney,  John,  burnt,  361,  362. 
Nicot,  Jules,  carries  tobacco  to  France,  44. 
Nicholson,  Sir  Francis,  263. 
Norridgewock  expedition,  328. 
Northmen,  18,  21. 

O. 

Oglethorpe,  General,  350,  351,  353,  355,  360. 
Oldham,  John,  killed  by  Indians,  177. 
Oswego  captured,  409. 

P. 

Pamphilio  Narvaez,  25. 
Parliament  under  Charles  I.,  159. 
Parris,  Rev.  Mr.,  310,  312,  313,  314. 
Parsons,  Hugh,  309. 
Patroons,  145. 
Penn,  Admiral,  198. 

"      William,  297-299,  301,  302. 
Fepperell,  William,  395. 
Pequod  Indians,  176, 179,  180. 
Philadelphia  settled,  298. 
Philip,  King,  241-245,  248,  249. 
Phipps,  William,  290. 
Pigwaket  Indians,  330. 
Pilgrims,  111-140. 
Pitt,  William,  422,  425,  437. 
Pittsburgh  named,  436. 
Plains  of  Abraham,  446. 
Pomeroy,  Seth,  387. 
Ponce  de  Leon,  22. 
Pontrincourt,  Baron,  58. 
Pope  Alexander  VI.,  17,  303. 
Pope's  Day,  77. 
Popham,  Lord  John,  64,  65. 
Population  of  Canada,  375. 
Portland  attacked,  280. 
Port  Royal,  Nova  Scotia,  59,  290. 

"      South  Carolina,  30,  339. 
Porto  Rico,  35. 
Prayer-book,  164,  268. 
Priest,  Degory,  120. 
Pring,  Martin,  57. 
Printing  in  Virginia,  259. 
Prynne,  William,  206. 


INDEX. 


459 


Punishments  in  time  of  James  L,  85, 152-183, 

345. 

Puritans,  51,84. 
Pym,  John,  208. 

Q. 

Quaco,  Burning  of,  361. 
Quakers,  216-227,  299,  342. 
Quebec,  30,  66,  146,  441-444. 
Quo  warranto,  265. 


Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  35. 
Rale,  the  Jesuit,  328. 
Randolph,  Edmund,  265. 
Rangers,  383,  413,  427,  444. 
Ravaillac,  the  Jesuit,  88. 
Revelry  at  Court  of  James  I.,  82. 
Revolution  in  Boston,  269. 

"          in  Virginia,  261. 
Rhode  Island  settled,  190. 
Ribault,  John,  30,  31. 
Rice  brought  to  South  Carolina,  344. 
Richelieu,  Cardinal,  1 48. 
Roanoke  Island  settled,  35. 
Robinson,  John,  51,  1 15. 
Rogers,  Major,  383. 

"       Robert,  4 11,  422,  424. 
Running  the  gauntlet,  365. 
Rupert,  Prince,  209. 


Sable  Island,  56. 
Sainte-Helene,  278. 
Salem  settled,  157. 

"      witchcraft,  310-317, 
Salmon  Falls  attacked,  279. 
Salzburg,  Archbishop  of,  351. 
Samoset  visits  Plymouth,  122. 
San  Salvador  discovered,  17. 
Sante  Fe",  30. 
Savannah,  350,  355. 
Say  brook  settled,  176. 
Schenectady  attacked,  277. 
Schools  in  Massachusetts,  187. 
Schuyler,  Arent,  291. 
Separatists,  51. 
Sewall,  Samuel,  316. 
Shawmut  settled,  169. 
Ship-money,  162. 
Shirley,  Governor,  382. 


Ship  Abigail,  157. 

"    Anne,  350. 

"    Arbella,166. 

"    Archangel,  61. 

"    Concord,  56. 

"    Eagle,IG5. 

"    Fortune,  133. 

••    Half-Moon,71. 

"    Hesperus,  167. 

"    Jonas,  46. 

"    Lyon,  167,  169. 

"    Mayflower,  116,  124, 125. 

"    Naseby,  234. 

"    New  Netherlands,  142. 

"    Onrust,  99. 

"    Rose,  269. 

"    Royal  Charles,  233. 

"    Solomon,  46. 

"    Sparrow,  136. 

"    Swallow,  46,  218. 

*'    William,  190,  298. 

"    Zouterberg,  195. 
Smith,  John,  90,  97. 
Soap-makers'  Company,  160. 
South  Carolina,  24,  347. 
South  wick,  Lawrence  and  Cassandra,  21 9* 
Spaniards  attack  Savannah,  355. 

in  Florida,  343. 
Spotswood,  Archbishop,  304. 

"          Governor,  264. 
St.  Augustine,  33,  347. 
St.  Botolph's  church,  165. 
St.  Croix  settlement,  58. 
St.  Francis,  102. 

"        "        Indians,  320,  365,  402,  449. 
St.  John's  destroyed,  33. 
St.  Patrick's  Day,  411. 
Stafford,  Earl  of,  208. 
Standish,  Miles,  118,  121,  127, 135,  138, 139. 

"        Rose,  122. 

Stark,  John,  363-365,  411,  414,  427,  430. 
Stevens,  Phineas,  398. 
Strawberry  Bank,  57. 
Stuyvesant,  Peter,  224,  230. 
Sunday  sports,  79. 
Swedish  settlements,  199. 


T. 


Tadousac  settled,  66. 
Taxes  in  Virginia,  263. 
Thanksgiving,  133, 169. 


460 


INDEX. 


Theatres  in  time  of  James  I.,  80. 

Thompson,  David,  142. 

Tituba,  310. 

Ticonderoga,  426,  428-431,  440. 

Tobacco,  43,  203. 

Tribute  paid  by  Indians,  198. 

Trinidad  discovered,  21. 

Tuscarora  Indians,  348. 

u. 

Underbill,  John,  178,179. 
Universal  Suffrage,  183. 
United  Colonies,  1 94. 
Utrecht,  Peace  of,  397. 

V. 

Van  Braam,  Jacob,  373 
Van  Rensselaer,  Jeremias,  230 
Vane,  Sir  Henry,  192. 
Vasco  da  Gama,  21. 
Vasquez  D'Ayllon,  24. 
Vaudreuil,  General,  398. 
Vaughan,  Colonel,  393,  396. 
Ventadour,  Duke  of,  147. 
Vernon,  Admiral,  355,  359,  368. 
Verrazano,  John,  24. 
Virginia  settled,  63. 

W. 

Waggener,  Captain,  381. 

Walking  Purchase,  301. 

Waldron,  Major,  249,  274. 

Walloons,  141. 

Walpole  attacked  by  IndLns,  402. 

Warnpanoag  Indians,  241. 

Wampum,  133. 

War  between  England  and  Holland,  232. 


War  between  France  and  England,  390. 
Warren,  Admiral,  394. 
Washington,  George,  368-370, 372. 

"  Lawrence,  369. 

"  Sir  John,  215. 

Washer-women,  161. 
Webb,  General,  410,  415,  416. 
Wentworth,  Benning,  393. 

"          Thomas,  209. 
West  India  Company,  142,  230. 
Wesley,  John  and  Charles,  353. 
Weston,  Thomas,  115,  116,  133,  134. 
Weymouth,  Captain,  61. 
settled,  134. 

Whalley,  Edward,  236,  248. 
Wheelright,  Kev.  John,  192,  193. 
White,  John,  35,  156. 
Whitfield,  Rev.  George,  353. 
Whittaker,  Joseph,  281. 
William  and  Mary  College,  263. 

"        of  Orange,  271. 
Williams,  Ephraim,  385. 

"        Roger,  170,  187-189. 
Winslow,  Edward,  122,  129, 172. 
Winthrop,  John,  165, 168,  169. 

"  "Jr.,  227,  228,  237. 

Witches,  Chapter  XXV.,  300. 
Wives  for  Virginia  settlers,  109. 
Wolfe's,  General,  death,  447. 
Wollaston,  Captain,  137. 
Wouter  van  Twiller,  195-197,  224,  2300 

Y. 

Yeamans,  Sir  John,  340. 
Yeardly,  Sir  George,  107. 
York,  Duke  of,  231. 


1HE 


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